In a city on Spain’s Costa Brava, Clara Valverde, a young beautiful woman, lives with her husband Juan. Juan is an architect and has planned a daring urbanistic project. In reality, the project is not viable. Clara, to keep her marriage and finances a float, works as a porno actress in an underground film industry. In spite of her job and her marriage, Clara is still a virgin. Her marriage has never been consummated because her husband is impotent for which she blames herself. In her work she does not allow to be penetrated. One day she goes to a reunion with Kellerman, an American millionaire who seems to be interested into put into fruition Juan’s project. However soon Clara learns that what he really wants is to blackmail her. The owner of the house, Jorge, finds out Claras’s real occupation and if she does not have sex to the American would tell everything to her husband.
Acting
Amparo Muñoz carries impossible tonal whiplash with grace.
Direction
Aranda turns sleaze into genuinely uncomfortable social commentary.
Cinematography
Costa Brava sunlight colliding with grimy interiors.
Director
Vicente Aranda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Spain's transition from Francoism, the film's sexual frankness was itself political — Aranda helped crack open a repressed national psyche.
Amparo Muñoz won Miss Spain 1973 and Miss Universe 1974; this was her attempt at serious acting, and she reportedly hated the nudity clauses.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
ES
