Sexo con Amor

In Santiago, Chile, the schoolteacher Luisa (Sigrid Alegría) proposes a debate about sex with the parents of her students with the intention of giving classes about sex education to the youngsters. Luisa is a young independent woman that is split between the love for her also young mate, the painter Valentín (Francisco Pérez-Bannen), and for her experienced lover, the middle-age father of one of her students and successful writer Jorge (Patricio Contreras). Jorge still lives with his wife Mónica (Loreto Valenzuela), but their marriage ended and they do not even talk to each other, but his affair with Luisa is limited to sex. In the meeting, the parents are divided in groups, and Luisa stays with Jorge, and the couples Álvaro (Álvaro Rudolphy) and his pregnant wife Elena (Cecilia Amenábar) and the butcher Emilio (Boris Quercia) and his frigid wife Maca (María Izquierdo). Álvaro is a wolf man, harasses all the beautiful women that he meets for one night stand, unfaithful and neglecting his wife at home. When Luisa finds that she is pregnant and Valentin is going to work in São Paulo, she makes a decision with her sentimental life. When Elena meets her former friend from university Carlos Rojas (Carlos Osorio), Álvaro becomes jealous and tries to commit with Elena. When the liberated and independent niece Susan (Javiera Díaz de Valdés) spends a couple of days in his home, the faithful Emilio is seduced by the sexy and gorgeous young woman, while Maca finds her sexuality, reading magazines and going to the gynecologist.

"Sexo Con Amor" is a magnificent surprise, a delightful romance with stunning screenplay and outstanding performances of a cast absolutely unknown (at least for me). The simple and refreshing story perfectly balances romance and comedy with elements of soap opera, eroticism and a wonderful chemistry of talented and beautiful actresses and actors and it is impossible not laugh and love this film. There are hilarious scenes, like the discussion when the Catholic priest arrives to the parents meeting and Álvaro opposes with his strong position. The themes love and sex are entwined in funny situations, with Álvaro being the stereotype of the Latin macho-man; Emilio and Maca represent the conservative middle-class of Chile; and the extremely sexy Sigrid Alegría and Javiera Díaz de Valdés the new generation that reflect times of new ideas and changing in the society. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sexo Com Amor" ("Sex With Love")

Sexo Con Amor is a glorified soap-opera and has become the most successful home grown film in Chilean cinematic history. Its soap opera status is no bad thing, in fact the film's success stems from the fact that, like the previous reocrd holding film, El Chacotero Sentimental, which itself was based on a radio programme, it provides a refreshing slice of reality of what the real Chilean gets up to in bed.

In a country by tradition conseravtive and Catholic, it may surprise viewers to see the director having sex with his teenage niece on top of a washing machine, or his wife masturbating with a courgette, yet this comic hyperbole serves to emphasise the fact that Chileans ARE at times unfaithful, they do have sex before marriage. Indeed, the apparent soap opera layer to the film masks the issues raised. As the title implies, the film focuses on the issues of sex and love, and the 6 main protagonists comprise 3 couples who attend an evening class to discuss the problems they have with their sex lives. Among the problems which director Boris Quercia relates to the viewers are those of infidelity (in a country where divorce is illegal), unwanted pregnancy (in a country where abortion is illegal), homosexuality (in a continent where machismo dominates) and incest. Alcohol, drugs, and violence play secondary roles to the sexual politics taking place. The extreme comedy provided by the explosion of truths surrounding the Chilean en la cama projects the film as a statement in Latin American film - this is the Chilean in all his naked glory. Many will criticise the soap opera 'dumbing down' of major issues, but this accessibility has reached the largest audience in domestic film history, and also, those critics would do well to read a book by Mario Vargas Llosa 'Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter'. Not only does this book provide the Latin American opinion of the Argentine, but it portrays the soap opera as a central part of contemporary culture, which it is. Soap opera becomes escapism, art, and most importantly, reality. It also subtley raises issues such as divorce, the role of the father figure, and national identity. Quercia uses soap opera for the same effects. Social criticisms are raised in a comic manner, and the film helps to define a recent boom in Chilean cinema, alongside El Chacotero Sentimental and Taxi Para Tres.

The authentic chileanness is what comes to define this film. Mise-en-scene such as glasses of pisco-sour, bottles of vino tinto chileno, images of Cerro San Cristobal, Alvaro eating Reineta fish, talk of the World Cup in '98 - this is Chilean film basking in its Chileanness. The language of a cast plucked mainly from soap operas, such as ex-Pura Sangre star Sigrid Alegria, is a strong Chilean brand of Castellano, 'como estay?' 'al tiro' 'huevon' etc, make the film truely Chilean. As a foreigner watching the film shortly after its release in Cine Hoyts Huerfanos in Santiago, the scene when Pato Contreras sits in his car, swearing at Alegria for leaving him for her own boyfriend, his tirade of Chilean insults ('concha su madre' etc), made me, and the other 1000 people present, laugh out loud. I released that the locals where actually laughing at themselves, at their idiosyncratic way of speaking Spanish. Finally there was a film, 100% Chilean, with which Chilean people could identify, with which a Chilean director could raise social questions without he himself 'disappearing' (as in the days of the Military Regime). Sexo Con Amor may be an extended soap opera, but it is a defining moment in Chilean, and in Latin American, film history.

A group of parents goes to their children's school to talk about how to face the topic of sex in front of the kids. But all the grown ups in the room, teacher included, are way behind of being capable to even mention what's the best thing to do about sexuality.

Sexo con Amor (Sex With Love) is an assembled cast movie with excellent performances. Main characters played by Sigrid Alegría and Alvaro Rudolphy, the unfaithful teacher and the adulterous office man, are astounding. But laurels should be given to director- screen writer- lead character Boris Quercia, who plays an unsatisfied husband tempted with a gorgeous niece who comes from France. His frigid wife is acted wonderfully by María Izquierdo, a sort of Chilean Carol Burnette.

Music is even better. The soundtrack includes several songs of `Los Petinellis' one of the most popular rock bands in Chile these days.

Unfaithfulness, safe sex, terrible sex, great sex, gay sex, Santiago is exposed as a crowded city of imperfect inhabitants with great candor.

The tagline gives a trend about part of the mood within the film (La pelicula que no acaba./ the movie which doesn't come.) Well, it's interesting how wide is the range of myths or taboos included in every piece of conversation about sex. Whether is an uptight fellow or an open mind one, there is always a tiny bit of lack of honesty at the moment of talking about our own sexuality.

The biggest box office hit in Chilean cinema. The reason is a conventional and horny country whose people yell out asking for a movie that show a bit of sincerity. And we have got it.

8/ 10

Even though the aesthetics of film-making in Sexo con Amor remain vaguely familiar and borrowed -- there's the nice, clean 3-point lighting set ups for each of the scenes with a focus that's just a little soft to give the romantic feel of Barry Lyndon, shot-reverse-shot is a dominant structure of the scenes, the melodrama (although invented in cinema by D.W. Griffith, it's not really a style of Hollywood anymore, it's becoming a Spanish expressionism almost, with soap operas and Almodovar inevitably influencing rising directors more than anything else), and the adherence to story -- the cultural references are undoubtedly different and original than are those seen in the leading American films.

For one, the always-taboo subject of nudity is handled very crudely (but honestly), with almost every other scene including people getting into in-depth discussions while naked or half-naked. It defies the exploitive nature of American film nudity not only because of its overwhelming amount, but the way in which it's used. At one point Luisa's (Sigrid Alegría) breast falls out of her lingerie, as it probably would in real life, while she turns in bed, and not only has it survived the cut, but was probably intentional during the making.

In another scene where uncle and niece get it on together, incest is made seen as if it's almost unnatural to live without. Though to say more about that relationship, it's probably only used in reference to sex (and niece was probably put in there to be a plot device, the sole possibility for the lone man to get access to a woman). A moral compass for that particular relationship is not shown at all. In fact, it's mostly about an older man who copes with cheating on his wife, while there is no hint he's hesitant at doing it with someone like his niece.

Although I wrote above that it adheres to a strict storyline, the conclusion of the plot is not like in the American movies as well, it's open and suggests lack of character growth rather than concluding with a specific point of original intention. And it works, a good question is better than a good answer in this case. Sexo con Amor is a different type of animal, a film rich in Chilean culture and must be viewed without bias from Hollywood-like structures.

This film really made me laugh. It's not like those typical American movies in which sex is portrayed with prudery, timidity or solemnity. The sex scenes are portrayed in an open way. What I like in many Spanish and hispano-American films is the care with which they choose the actors/actresses. The chemistry among the actors/actresses is taken into consideration. That's why their sex, friendship and romantic scenes are much more intense than in their American counterparts. This film is a joy to see and hear. It's entertaining and thought-provoking. Some Spanish and hispano-American films I recommend are: "Pantaleon y las visitadoras", "La nina santa" "Todo sobre mi madre", "Maria Full of Grace" "Mar Adentro", "Sexo por compassion" (see this one after "Sexo con amor") etc.. I live in Brazil and would like to see much more Spanish-speaking films. There should be a greater integration among Latin-American countries.