Desire (2002 film) - Misplaced Pages

2002 Spanish film

Desire
Theatrical release poster

Spanish	Deseo

Directed by	Gerardo Vera
Screenplay by	Ángeles Caso
Produced by	Andrés Vicente Gómez
Starring	Leonor Watling Leonardo Sbaraglia Cecilia Roth Emilio Gutiérrez Caba Ernesto Alterio María Vázquez Jordi Bosch Gloria Muñoz Herbert Knaup Rosa Mª Sardá Norma Aleandro
Cinematography	Javier Aguirresarobe
Edited by	Alejandro Lázaro
Music by	Stephen Warbeck
Production company	Lolafilms
Distributed by	Lolafilms
Release date	25 October 2002 (2002-10-25)
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Desire (Spanish: Deseo), also known as Beyond Desire, is a 2002 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Gerardo Vera from a screenplay by Ángeles Caso which stars Leonor Watling and Leonardo Sbaraglia.

Plot

Set in Madrid in 1945, during the Francoist dictatorship, the plot follows the impossible romance between Elvira and Pablo. Elvira is a humble woman with allegiances to those vanquished in the Spanish Civil War (her father shot dead by the fascists and her husband Julio imprisoned) living with her sister Raquel and her mother. Pablo is an Argentine businessman of German descent and Nazi allegiances who is helping Nazis to flee to Argentina.

Cast

Leonor Watling as Elvira
Leonardo Sbaraglia as Pablo
Cecilia Roth as Alina
Ernesto Alterio as Julio
Gloria Muñoz as Lola
María Vázquez as Raquel
Jordi Bosch as Velasco
Emilio Gutiérrez Caba as Rogelio
Rosa María Sardá as madre de Elvira
Norma Aleandro as Clarita

Production

The screenplay was penned by novel screenwriter Ángeles Caso. A Lolafilms (Andrés Vicente Gómez) production, the film also had the participation of Antena 3 TV and Vía Digital [es]. The score was authored by Stephen Warbeck, whereas Javier Aguirresarobe worked as cinematographer. The bulk of the footage was shot in Madrid, with some scenes filmed in Galicia.

Release

Distributed by Lolafilms Distribución, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 25 October 2002.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of Variety considered that the "good-looking political romancer" features a "solid script", which "sidesteps the obvious pitfalls, and the luminous screen presence of Leonor Watling suffuses the whole with warmth and tenderness".

Ángel Fernández-Santos of El País considered that despite a good start and a compelling exterior sketch of the characters, the two leads and their romance end up losing steam, "bound by the corset of two inert, empty, dead characters".

References

^ Fernández Santos, Elsa (25 October 2022). "Gerardo Vera enfrenta ideología y pasión en 'Deseo'". El País.
^ Holland, Jonathan (11 November 2002). "Desire". Variety.
^ "Deseo". Lolafilms. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
Ruiz Mantilla, Jesús (22 October 2002). "Leonor Watling y Sbaraglia viven una historia de amor con intriga nazi en 'Deseo'". El País.
Hermida, Xosé (14 December 2001). "'Deseo', la trágica historia de un amor imposible". El País.
Fernández-Santos, Ángel (25 October 2022). "A medio camino". El País.

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