La Virgen de la Lujuria/The Virgin of Lust (2002)
Director: Arturo Ripstein
Starring: Luis Felipe Tovar, Ariadna Gil, Alberto Estrella
Country: Mexico
La Virgen de la Lujuria tells a story of a Mexican waiter played by Luis Felipe Tovar named Nacho, who works in the Café Ofelia that’s in the Mexican city of Veracruz. The café’s owner, Don Lazaro, is able to maintain his authority over Nacho by being strict, demanding, and making himself look superior by pointing out his Spanish ancestry and the fact that Nacho has considerable Indian heritage.
Nacho’s misery intensifies when he meets a Spanish alcoholic and opium addicted prostitute named Lola, who’s played by Adriana Gil (Ofelia’s mother in Pan’s Labyrinth). Nacho lusts after this woman and seems to want nothing more, but for her to develop an honest and true love for him. Nacho courts her, gives her a place to stay, and helps her in any way, but it doesn’t seem enough to gain her love. Lola is too busy with her obsessions over a masked wrestler named Gardenia Wilson and Spain’s dictator Francisco Franco who she wants dead. Nacho is left having to deal with his intense emotions over Lola, and having to deal with the emotional and physical demands of his job.
This film lasts about 140 minutes and moves slowly, which makes it a movie that one needs to have patience to watch. It’s definitely a film that isn’t for everyone, but it’s a film that I personally enjoyed and think that it presents an interesting view of Franco's rise to power.The movie takes place shortly after Franco’s fascist victory over the republicans, which lead to a Spanish migration to Mexico. Several of the customers of Café Ofelia are Spanish exiles who discuss the current state of Spain and seem to have some hope that Franco’s reign won’t last very long. The movie doesn’t fully develop the Spanish exile experience in Mexico, but it’s something that's presented and shown to have an effect over the country and people of Mexico. Obviously, having some knowledge of Franco’s rise and his effects on Spain would help in watching this movie, since it allows the viewer to fully understand the historical context of the film.
The film, however, is probably more of a psychodrama about love and lust than anything else. The film’s director, Arturo Ripstein, creates a slowly paced and intense movie that allow the protagonist's emotional misery to come through. Lola is sexually alive and struts herself in front of Nacho, which only intensifies his lust for her, but he maintains his desire to win her heart. We are left with a sexual cat and mouse game, which plays with the mind of Nacho and with the audience. Nacho in many ways symbolizes the average worker in Mexico who wants more than what he has in terms of money and in terms to personal fulfilment, but finds himself stuck in an unpleasant job.
The film looks wonderful and is full of dark and moody colors that create a sultry and claustrophobic environment. Ripstein has often being called the heir to Luis Buñuel’s surrealist style of Mexican filmmaking, and in this movie we go get a good taste of surrealism, but nothing completely bizarre. There are hints of magical realism, there are scenes that emulate film noir movies, and there are times when the characters will randomly break into song. All of this allows Ripstein to play with the structure of the film and play around with reality.
Like I mentioned earlier, this film takes patience and Ripstein is known for being a bit of an acquired taste, but this film could be very rewarding for those who find this type of story intriguing, those with an interest in Spain’s rise to fascism and its implications in Mexico, and it’s definitely worth watching for those who are fans of the director.
Starring: Luis Felipe Tovar, Ariadna Gil, Alberto Estrella
Country: Mexico
La Virgen de la Lujuria tells a story of a Mexican waiter played by Luis Felipe Tovar named Nacho, who works in the Café Ofelia that’s in the Mexican city of Veracruz. The café’s owner, Don Lazaro, is able to maintain his authority over Nacho by being strict, demanding, and making himself look superior by pointing out his Spanish ancestry and the fact that Nacho has considerable Indian heritage.
Nacho’s misery intensifies when he meets a Spanish alcoholic and opium addicted prostitute named Lola, who’s played by Adriana Gil (Ofelia’s mother in Pan’s Labyrinth). Nacho lusts after this woman and seems to want nothing more, but for her to develop an honest and true love for him. Nacho courts her, gives her a place to stay, and helps her in any way, but it doesn’t seem enough to gain her love. Lola is too busy with her obsessions over a masked wrestler named Gardenia Wilson and Spain’s dictator Francisco Franco who she wants dead. Nacho is left having to deal with his intense emotions over Lola, and having to deal with the emotional and physical demands of his job.
This film lasts about 140 minutes and moves slowly, which makes it a movie that one needs to have patience to watch. It’s definitely a film that isn’t for everyone, but it’s a film that I personally enjoyed and think that it presents an interesting view of Franco's rise to power.The movie takes place shortly after Franco’s fascist victory over the republicans, which lead to a Spanish migration to Mexico. Several of the customers of Café Ofelia are Spanish exiles who discuss the current state of Spain and seem to have some hope that Franco’s reign won’t last very long. The movie doesn’t fully develop the Spanish exile experience in Mexico, but it’s something that's presented and shown to have an effect over the country and people of Mexico. Obviously, having some knowledge of Franco’s rise and his effects on Spain would help in watching this movie, since it allows the viewer to fully understand the historical context of the film.
The film, however, is probably more of a psychodrama about love and lust than anything else. The film’s director, Arturo Ripstein, creates a slowly paced and intense movie that allow the protagonist's emotional misery to come through. Lola is sexually alive and struts herself in front of Nacho, which only intensifies his lust for her, but he maintains his desire to win her heart. We are left with a sexual cat and mouse game, which plays with the mind of Nacho and with the audience. Nacho in many ways symbolizes the average worker in Mexico who wants more than what he has in terms of money and in terms to personal fulfilment, but finds himself stuck in an unpleasant job.
The film looks wonderful and is full of dark and moody colors that create a sultry and claustrophobic environment. Ripstein has often being called the heir to Luis Buñuel’s surrealist style of Mexican filmmaking, and in this movie we go get a good taste of surrealism, but nothing completely bizarre. There are hints of magical realism, there are scenes that emulate film noir movies, and there are times when the characters will randomly break into song. All of this allows Ripstein to play with the structure of the film and play around with reality.
Like I mentioned earlier, this film takes patience and Ripstein is known for being a bit of an acquired taste, but this film could be very rewarding for those who find this type of story intriguing, those with an interest in Spain’s rise to fascism and its implications in Mexico, and it’s definitely worth watching for those who are fans of the director.