Film Reviews

Torremolinos 73

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Candela Pena
• Details: Spain / 97 mins (15s).

Spain, 1973. When failed encyclopaedia salesman Alfredo (Camara) is offered the opportunity to make scientific films about human reproduction (soft-core porn, basically) to be released in Scandinavia, he is outraged - after all, this is the Spain of Franco and the Catholic Church. His shy wife Carmen (Pena) makes him think again: desperate to have children, she'll try anything that will bring in the necessary funds. What follows is a wryly humorous examination of how their experiment affects their lives. Alfredo discovers an instinctive talent for filmmaking and longs to emulate his hero, Ingmar Bergman; meanwhile, shrinking violet Carmen blooms in front of the lens and becomes a massive star in Denmark. Unfortunately, while Alfredo's creative juices are very definitely flowing, his baby-making fluids prove less obliging, and Carmen is driven to desperate measures to realise her own dream. Soon the pair are enmeshed in the making of a more serious project, Alfredo's self-penned 'Torremolinos 73', a Bergmanesque homage that culminates - much to Alfredo's horror - with an unexpected stag scene. Based loosely on actual events (when released, the real Torremolinos 73 was a smash hit in Scandinavia) and boasting a hilarious Bergman parody, likeable characters and excellent performances, this is a downbeat comedy with a climax as contrived as any porn star's orgasm but infinitely more heart-warming.

Review by Declan Burke