About love and dissafections!
Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 01/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Matias Bize is a talented Chilean director who has astonished the world with this chamber story totally filmed into a motel room and a couple of lovers.
The plot is very simple. Both of them decided by different reasons (the last rest before the duty of marriage and the last adventure before undertake studies of the fourth level).
So, what it would seem a simple love affair without major importance, it will become for both of them, a reencounter with their inner afflictions, doubts, fears lost illusions and an enormous affective thirst.
In the semiotic lexicon, there` s a vital clue; neither one of them wants to step the floor (he alludes to a joke from his childhood) but in reality the overlapping of conventionalisms and superficial banality in which we live, have inured them to live into a cage of moral canons and common places that they will be discovering once they have decided to open the dark side of the human soul.
A very interesting project, filmed with absolute conviction, superb naturalness in the dialogues and a sensual photography that show us the dazzling and alluring beauty of Blanca Lewin.
This film was elected in 2006 as Best Spanish Foreign Film at the edition of Goya Awards.
"
En la cama pays tribute to Linklater's Before Sunrise.
G. Merritt | Boulder, CO | 11/04/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"En la cama is a 2005 Chilean film directed by Matías Bize. The film takes place entirely in a single motel room. Using the same minimalist style as Richard Linklater's 1995 film, Before Sunrise, it tells the story of a young Santiago couple, Bruno (Gonzalo Valenzuela) and Daniela (Blanca Lewin), who experience a deep, romantic connection through their conversations, which eventually culminates in a night of passionate sex. In many ways, Bize's film seems to pay tribute to Linklater's far better film (which starred Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke), but Bize brings nothing new to the story other than perhaps the point that meaningful conversation has the potential to lead to a deeper emotional intimacy than the sexual act itself. En la cama was Chile's submission to the 79th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. It will appeal to anyone who has first enjoyed Before Sunrise/Before Sunset. Recommended.
G. Merritt"
Erotic and Surprisingly Perceptive
Henry H. Knapp | Rural California | 02/15/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Two relatively ordinary (but uncommonly attractive) 20-somethings meet at a party and go off to a motel for what they think will be a relatively uncomplicated one-night stand. As the night unfolds they, and we, learn that one-night stands don't always turn out the way we expect them to, and sexual encounters can touch our emotions in ways that are both surprising and poignant.
"
Being a fly on the wall during an intimate encounter
Joseph P. Menta, Jr. | Philadelphia, PA USA | 12/01/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Watchable, fairly explicit "art house" style erotic drama about an attractive young man and woman engaged in a one-night stand. Taking place entirely in their motel room, the man and woman are first fairly cool and nonchalant about their mutually agreed upon liaison, but then eventually open up to each other about several issues on their minds, sexual and otherwise. There are three or four sex scenes throughout the film (hey, the characters are young), with the extended conversation scenes taking place between those scenes. A revelation or two, while not shocking, are dramatic enough to add a layer of interest to the proceedings.
The extra features are few in number and short in running time, but they give a reasonable, interesting glimpse into the world of the film. A couple of interview clips illuminate the motivations of the director and actors. Clips from awards shows indicate that at least a few people in Chile (the film's country of origin) regard "En La Cama" highly. My favorite special feature was a bonus short film, about two or three minutes long, that perhaps concisely sums up the state of many relationships out there. At the least, it's clever and moving.
If you're looking for outright erotica and nothing else, then you might want to pass up "En La Cama", as the talking scenes will probably frustrate you. But if you're open to erotic movies that also incorporate other aspects of the human experience, you might get some modest enjoyment out of this DVD, as I did."