Search - El Calentito on DVD

Sparkling in Spain

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 03/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

""El Calentito"



Sparkling in Spain



Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride



"El Calentito" (TLA Releasing) is a special treat from Spain which is set against the background of the birth of "La Movida" movement in Spain in which artists found expression. "El Calentito" is a musical comedy of high energy that is loud and "in your face". In 1981 Spain was beginning to heat up. An innocent virgin by the name of Sara (Veronica Sanchez) finds her way into an underground nightclub, "El Calentito", and her life is changed forever. The club is owned by a very sassy and domineering transsexual and is the symbol of punk and sexual abandon and liberation. The star act of the club is a musical group

of women called "Les Sioux" which is fronted by a lesbian named Carmen and membered by another girl named Leo who is in a perpetual state of undress.

At that time the political climate of Spain had been influenced by the conservatism of the Franco regime and the club therefore was a haven of sexual expression in all of its forms. "Les Sioux" invites Sara to perform with them but on the night she is supposed to sing there is a riot which causes the collapse of the government and the country runs wild--there are instantaneous celebrations everywhere. Sara joins in and discovers her own chance to start on on-stage revolution and the bar, El Calentito" becomes an ocean of perversion, sex, and great celebration.

The movie indeed deals with an interesting period of social conflict in Spain and it handles it with great humor. Spain and Sara are in the throes of breaking away from a restrictive society (right after Franco's dictatorship ended with his death). Sara must face many choices--she is conflicted about her family and is in conflict with her sexuality. She is a good girl who has never had sex, drank, or used drugs. Something leads her to the club that night and it is there that she learns of sex, rock and roll and drugs and she participates. When the riots begin, Sara's future is in danger, The movie deals with the collision of cultures--the conservative vs. the new art movement.

What comes out of all of this is a gem of a film (not considering the bad acting and terrible direction) which mixes fact and fiction to creative a colorful and very funny look at Spain.

TLA is releasing the film on May 8 and this is a movie you want to add to your "to see" list. It is a pleasure to watch and it is wonderful to see the youth of a country have a say as to where that country will go.

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