Castillos de cartón

In 1980s Madrid, art student Biel Duran (as Jaime) wants beautifully scarred Adriana Ugarte (as Maria Jose) to see his etchings, but she is more smitten with tall and shy Nilo Mur (as Marcos). The two young men are buddies, and get Ms. Ugarte to come over and smoke some hash. When it becomes obvious Ugarte and Mr. Mur are mutually attracted, Mr. Duran steps out so they can be alone. He quickly returns, however, because Duran has ulterior motives. You see, Mur is impotent. So, he gets the woman turned on, then cocky Duran arrives to finish the fornication...

Duran and Ugarte copulate successfully while Mur watches. "Girls always prefer him," Duran explains, "I need handsome friends for their scraps." This leads to some questions about credulity, in my mind. The men seem to both be generally attractive guys; however, we are led to believe Duran is the homely companion to Mur the Adonis. Not buying it.

Ugarte is a great beauty, by the way, with mesmerizing nipples. Anyway... the "3Some" continue on in this manner, with Ugarte sometimes reluctant in the early encounters. Eventually, they form a non-bi sex triad. This leads to some inevitable relationship problems, especially as the three can't remain bohemian art students forever... The most interesting story thread is that Mur is more emotionally disturbed than impotent, which helps explain some things. Salvador Garcia Ruiz is a hypnotizing director, taking us along on this tricycle ride, albeit to an anticlimax.

****** Castillos de carton (10/25/09) Salvador Garcia Ruiz ~ Adriana Ugarte, Biel Duran, Nilo Mur, Pepa Pedroche

The film failed to fully depict the art, the love, the sex, & the death that made this story so intense. Art formation made Jaime, Marcos, and Jose to meet; love was so intense but it wasn't captured by the camera.

The nudes and sex scenes where short and sporadic, and they didn't give the sensation of forming part of a long relationship spanning several months.

Other thing that disappointed me, was the failure to depict Madrid's crazy life of the early 80s. Crime and instability are showed through some audios from the newsreel in the background; but a more liberal Spain and the artistic boom of the 80s don't appear on the screen.

Art, love, and lust apparently are words that doesn't exists in the director's vocabulary.

Something much better could've been done with such a great story; just like they did with "Le Mepris" (1963) from Jean-Luc Godard.

PS: Almudena Grandes didn't receive the credit of the story in this film.

Two friends, Jaime and Marcos, both studying painting at an art school in Valencia, decide to use a two-pronged hook-up strategy on a female fellow student, Josey. The handsome, sensitive, upper-class Marcos is the bait in their honey-trap, but unfortunately he's impotent - so dogged, workmanlike Jaime steps into the breach when Marcos fails to consummate the seduction. Consequently the trio become an unlikely item, and concoct rules to deal with the lopsided asymmetry of their triangular relationship. Various issues arise, but the group dynamic is kept in balance by Josey's inability to have orgasms within the arrangement, much to the frustration of Jaime who prides himself on his prowess as a sexual swordsman. The three of them engage in a series of shallow, self-important discussions about art, life and love as the affair progresses, but "3some" doesn't convey that the relationship is either credible or valuable, since they keep making big mountains out of small molehills. The film's glibness is exemplified in the sequence where Marcos' longstanding impotence is suddenly and implausibly cured - not in a moment of safety and intimacy - but with a hurried encounter in the bathroom during an awkward visit to Josey's parents' small apartment. The balance shifts after this episode, and fracture lines begin to appear. Unfortunately for "3some", it's hard to believe very much is at stake when the tensions manifest in petulant jealousy, dishonesty and broken rules.

I was also amazed at how little rating this film has gotten. I gather it is one of those films that either connect with your senses, or it doesn't. The story may be a classic menage-a-trois with an, some would say, unavoidable outcome. But there was nothing classic about this film. It is a very unique piece of work. It was among the best 10 films I have seen. The authenticity of the play, and the scenes where so much was said and no one spoke, is sublime. It is a film that is suppose to be felt more than seen, or heard. If you like Korean instructor Kim Ki-Duk's film, you'll love this one. A very fine portrait of the seeking nature of youth, with a logic that seems so evident at the time. Yet later on in life is discarded as rash or not prudent, or outright promiscuous. It portraits the dilemma between open mindedness and and the fear of loosing the tender moment.

I don't understand why this movie does not receive better ratings. My cable program guide listed this film 1 1/2 stars out of 4 and the ratings here are not much better. I'm glad I gave this film a chance because I really enjoyed it and recommend it to all film watchers who are looking for quality story and production. You will find the characters interesting and watchable. Three art students decide to have a sexual relationship with each other. When they reveal their inner most personal sexual problems to each other while laying around in bed is well acted and written. The emotional problems they encounter in their three way relationship shapes the rest of the film. I don't want to give too much away so you can enjoy it as I did.