Lulú (1990)

Lulú: Directed by Bigas Luna. With Francesca Neri, Óscar Ladoire, María Barranco, Fernando Guillén Cuervo. The story of a young woman’s descent into the kinky and dangerous sexual underground in Madrid.

“Bigas Lunau0026#39;s movies are difficult to come by in the U.S., but judging from the few Iu0026#39;ve seen — u0026quot;Jamon, jamon,u0026quot; u0026quot;Golden Balls,u0026quot; and u0026quot;The Ages of Luluu0026quot; — he could easily become one of my favorite directors. His movies arenu0026#39;t perfect by any stretch, but I like his direct approach to sexuality and his fondness for envelope pushing. And he really pushes it in u0026quot;The Ages of Lulu,u0026quot; which takes the standard non-plot of most erotic dramas — a womanu0026#39;s sexual awakening — and takes it into dark, disturbing and daring realms. u0026quot;Emmanuelleu0026quot; this is not.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLulu (Francesca Neri) is a virginal teen in Madrid whou0026#39;s got a crush on her brotheru0026#39;s friend Pablo (Oscar Ladoire). Pablo takes Lulu to a concert and quickly introduces her to oral sex, shaves her privates and, finally, takes her virginity. Then heu0026#39;s off to the U.S. When he returns Lulu is older but still smitten. After a painful introduction to anal sex, Pablo proposes. Once married, the couple spend most of their time having athletic sex. They pick-up Ely, a trannie hooker/Cher lookalike (played by female Maria Barranco, with some prosthetic help), and even though Ely ends up being a third wheel in the inevitable threesome, she ultimately befriends the couple. She even babysits when they have a daughter. But then one of Pablou0026#39;s sex games goes too far and Lulu leaves him. On her own, she whiles away her days writing and watching bi-sexual porn videos. Intrigued by man-on-man action, she goes down to a sleazy gay bar and is soon involved in some intense sex play with three gay men (one of whom is played by a young Javier Bardem), who are paid for their services. Sheu0026#39;s a full-fledged sex addict, and like all addicts, sheu0026#39;s going to hit bottom.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve read reviews of this movie that term the sex scenes as u0026quot;near pornographic.u0026quot; I wouldnu0026#39;t go that far — much of the action is darkly lit, with bare crotches often hidden in shadow — though itu0026#39;s clearly in NC-17 territory, and clearly not a movie that would be made in the U.S. I suspect Lunau0026#39;s portraying homosexual activity in the same unflinching directness that he shows the hetero action may be the real reason people are labeling this movie u0026quot;pornographyu0026quot; and u0026quot;filth.u0026quot; u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut sex isnu0026#39;t u0026quot;Luluu0026quot;u0026#39;s problem; narrative is. Itu0026#39;s hard to get a grasp on the movieu0026#39;s time frame: it appears to start in the 1960s, then goes directly to the late 1980s, bypassing the 1970s altogether. Luluu0026#39;s never really defined beyond her sexuality, so she never quite connects as a character. When she leaves her husband she takes their young daughter, but then the girl disappears from her life — and the movie — completely. And why does the exploration of sexuality (particularly female sexuality) always have to have such dire consequences? Then again, maybe Iu0026#39;m over-analyzing. Thatu0026#39;s the problem with u0026quot;Luluu0026quot;: it doesnu0026#39;t always aim below the belt, but it canu0026#39;t seem to get its mind out of the gutter.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Ages of Luluu0026quot; may not be all that easy to watch, but like the Bigas Luna movies Iu0026#39;ve seen so far, itu0026#39;s even more difficult to forget.”