Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 2, 1993 TAG: 9301010128
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
`LOVERS' IS STRICTLY FOR ADULTS
Though "Lovers" is based on a true story, this thermal Spanish love story has all the ingredients of the kind of lust-and-murder yarns that James M. Cain and Jim Thompson wrote.It's a well-constructed, evenly paced picture with top-notch performances. But it's strictly for adults with high thresholds when it comes to sexual content.
The setting is Madrid in the 1950s. Paco, played by Jorge Sanz, is a young soldier about to be mustered out of the service. He's uncertain about his prospects, but marriage to the devoted Trini (Maribel Verdu) seems to be unquestionable.
She's a diligent young maid who works hard, saves her money and fends off any premarital advances from Paco. Her only ambition in life is to raise a family and take care of Paco.
Little does she know the trouble she's about to precipitate when she tells Paco about an ad for a room rental. Paco responds to the ad and is met at the door by Luisa, the landlady. Played with uninhibited sensuality by the formidable Victoria Abril, the landlady is a classic bad girl. Luisa is hot of blood and cold of heart, a wicked combination that enraptures the sexually denied Paco. She makes her living through con games and can't wait to squander the money. Early in the film, Paco seems to possess a kernel of decency. Even after he becomes involved in Luisa's schemes, he shows some sympathy for her victims. But character and conscience are not Paco's strong points. He's basically lazy and weak. Before long, his lust for the adventurous Luisa and his taste for easy money deprive him of both decency and common sense.
Meanwhile, Trini becomes more determined than ever to hold on to Paco. Her caring employer advises her to submit to Paco's advances. It's a war, she tells Trini. And Trini deludes herself into thinking that she can emerge victorious.
But the outcome of any contest between the sweet and innocent Trini and the sexual Storm Trooper who has captivated Paco is a foregone conclusion.
Director Vicente Aranda takes the material and shapes it into a compelling film noir melodrama that sustains tension even as it leaves no doubt that the consequences of this tangled love triangle will not be good.
Abril's performance provides the most fireworks. But Sanz convincingly depicts the moral deterioration of Paco. These two are rats, but Luisa at least brings some gumption to her low-down ways. Verdu's performance is less showy but heartbreakingly effective. Trini's love for Paco is total and uncompromising. She comes from a family with a history of self-destructive and extravagant gestures when it comes to affairs of the heart and she has no means to protect herself against betrayal. *** In Spanish with subtitles. Showing at the Grandin Theatre; unrated but strong sexual content and language makes this one strictly for adults; 104 minutes.