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The Naked Eye is a 1998
Spanish
film, written and directed by Vicente Aranda
adapted from a novel by Fernando G. Delgado. It stars Laura Morante
, Miguel Ángel García and José Coronado
. The film is an erotic psychodrama
, an exploration of female sexual desire. Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 1998 where it was nominated for the Golden Bear
.
Aranda objects to labelisation of his film as an "erotic film", instead he defines it as "psycho-erotic": "[The heroine,] Begoña's ambition is transparency. (...) She wants to enjoy life in its widest expression, and looks for clarity through sex."
On Christmas Eve, reluctantly, Begoña goes to have dinner with her dysfunctional family
: her stern mother, her married brother and her younger sister. Soon, Begoña, the family’s black sheep, clash with her relatives. She leaves abruptly in disharmony, only her sister seems sympathetic towards her. The same night in a bar, Begoña is befriended by Daniel a solitary handsome man in his late teens. The attractive and self assure Begoña draws his attention, but when her on and off ex boyfriend Elio, and adventurous biker, shows up at the bar, an argument ensures between Elio and Daniel.
The next morning Begoña wakes up in her bed with Daniel next to her. Drunk as she was, she does not remember what had happened. They had sex, he tells her, and it was wild. Young, rich and without any real occupation, Daniel stars to pursue Begoña relentlessly, but although she is flattered she ignores him. He is far from her only love interest, besides Daniel and Elio there is Ramón, Begoña’s coworker and sometimes lover. She is tired of him and rebuffs his advances coldly. Only, Ignacio, an older painter, seems to hold her interest. Old enough to be her father, Begoña has been Ignacio’s lover for many years. Although Daniel has followed her to Ignacio’s house, he is not deterred in his interest for Begoña.
When New Year ’s Day comes, Begoña goes to a party and gets reunited with her friends of younger days. The host is Santiago, Begoña‘s high School boyfriend. He is now married with twins and Begoña wonders how her life could have been that of a traditional wife and mother. At the party, there is also Marian, Begoña's friend, who is married to a much younger man, but is having trouble getting pregnant. On her request, Begoña helps Marian to collect from her husband the sperm she needs for an artificial insemination.
Begoña's spirit of adventure make her accepts the challenge of Elio, her friend and sometimes lover, to go into a rough section of Madrid pretending to be a prostitute. However, once there she is brutally raped by the local pimp, a beefy tall man in drag. After that terrible experience Begoña looks for a more respectable life. Once again causing a commotion with her family, Begoña marries Daniel and have a child with him. Nevertheless, unsatisfied, one day, she decides to return to the seedy neighborhood where she was rape, looking for more.
, but it is currently out of print. It was also released in Italy
.
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
film, written and directed by Vicente Aranda
Vicente Aranda
Vicente Aranda , is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Due to his refined and personal style, he is one of the most renowned Spanish filmmakers. He started as a founded member of the Barcelona School of Film and became known for bringing contemporary Spanish novels to life on the...
adapted from a novel by Fernando G. Delgado. It stars Laura Morante
Laura Morante
Laura Morante is an Italian film actress.She was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto , and is the niece of renowned Italian novelist Elsa Morante.-Career:...
, Miguel Ángel García and José Coronado
José Coronado
José Coronado García is a Spanish film and television actor.He is also known for his romantic life, with affairs with Isabel Pantoja, Paola Dominguín, Esther Cañadas and Mónica Molina.-Cinema:...
. The film is an erotic psychodrama
Psychodrama
Psychodrama is a method of psychotherapy in which clients utilize spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno, M.D. psychodrama includes elements of theater, often conducted on a stage where...
, an exploration of female sexual desire. Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 1998 where it was nominated for the Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
.
Aranda objects to labelisation of his film as an "erotic film", instead he defines it as "psycho-erotic": "[The heroine,] Begoña's ambition is transparency. (...) She wants to enjoy life in its widest expression, and looks for clarity through sex."
Plot
Begoña is a thirty something consultant who has rebelled against her upper middle class background and has overdone it with sex ever since her youth. On recommendation of her psychoanalyst she keeps a video diary of her encounters using a palm-sized video gadget called "The Owl".On Christmas Eve, reluctantly, Begoña goes to have dinner with her dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
: her stern mother, her married brother and her younger sister. Soon, Begoña, the family’s black sheep, clash with her relatives. She leaves abruptly in disharmony, only her sister seems sympathetic towards her. The same night in a bar, Begoña is befriended by Daniel a solitary handsome man in his late teens. The attractive and self assure Begoña draws his attention, but when her on and off ex boyfriend Elio, and adventurous biker, shows up at the bar, an argument ensures between Elio and Daniel.
The next morning Begoña wakes up in her bed with Daniel next to her. Drunk as she was, she does not remember what had happened. They had sex, he tells her, and it was wild. Young, rich and without any real occupation, Daniel stars to pursue Begoña relentlessly, but although she is flattered she ignores him. He is far from her only love interest, besides Daniel and Elio there is Ramón, Begoña’s coworker and sometimes lover. She is tired of him and rebuffs his advances coldly. Only, Ignacio, an older painter, seems to hold her interest. Old enough to be her father, Begoña has been Ignacio’s lover for many years. Although Daniel has followed her to Ignacio’s house, he is not deterred in his interest for Begoña.
When New Year ’s Day comes, Begoña goes to a party and gets reunited with her friends of younger days. The host is Santiago, Begoña‘s high School boyfriend. He is now married with twins and Begoña wonders how her life could have been that of a traditional wife and mother. At the party, there is also Marian, Begoña's friend, who is married to a much younger man, but is having trouble getting pregnant. On her request, Begoña helps Marian to collect from her husband the sperm she needs for an artificial insemination.
Begoña's spirit of adventure make her accepts the challenge of Elio, her friend and sometimes lover, to go into a rough section of Madrid pretending to be a prostitute. However, once there she is brutally raped by the local pimp, a beefy tall man in drag. After that terrible experience Begoña looks for a more respectable life. Once again causing a commotion with her family, Begoña marries Daniel and have a child with him. Nevertheless, unsatisfied, one day, she decides to return to the seedy neighborhood where she was rape, looking for more.
Cast
- Laura MoranteLaura MoranteLaura Morante is an Italian film actress.She was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto , and is the niece of renowned Italian novelist Elsa Morante.-Career:...
- Begoña - José CoronadoJosé CoronadoJosé Coronado García is a Spanish film and television actor.He is also known for his romantic life, with affairs with Isabel Pantoja, Paola Dominguín, Esther Cañadas and Mónica Molina.-Cinema:...
– Elio - Miguel Ángel García - Daniel
- Ana ObregónAna ObregónAna Obregón is a Spanish actress, celebrity and socialite.She obtained a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid ....
- Marian - Juanjo PuigcorbéJuanjo PuigcorbéJuanjo Puigcorbé is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since 1977. He starred in the 1993 film The Window Over the Way, which was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival....
- Ramón - Miguel BoséMiguel BoséMiguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
– Santiago - Blanca Apilánez – Isabel
- Sancho Gracia – Ignacio
DVD release
The Naked Eye has been release on DVD only in region 2. It was released in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but it is currently out of print. It was also released in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.