Valérie - Diario di una ninfomane

This film is a throwback to the 1970's and 1980's, where films had to pretend to be exploring psychology to show lots of scenes of love making. It is in the "Belle de Jour," and "Emmanuel" style of filmmaking.

Belén Fabra is quite beautiful and she's a good actress. you feel her enjoyment of sex, but also her shyness.

This is a gentle and nicely photographed/set designed movie that has just enough of a plot to hold the viewer's interest.

If there could be a genre called feminist porn, this might be a type. The film is as anxious about revealing the lead character's emotional state as it is about revealing her body.

The lead character, Valérie, learns lessons about love and sex, but it is hard to say exactly what those lessons are. Perhaps, it is only that they don't always turn out well, but that's no reason to stop either activity.

Geraldine Chaplin makes a quick appearance as a wise grandmother. It is great to see her and she adds a bit of seriousness to this quite light and enjoyable movie.

Leonardo Sbaraglia is good as Valerie's handsome potential life mate and lover, Jaime.

This movie is realistic, cruel, provocative and sexy but at the same time so very elegant and pure. Belen Fabra is a wonderful actress who is one hundred percent suitable for the role and she is the reason I liked this movie so much. She gives a magical sense to it. She makes you feel whatever she feels. The directing is unique and although the movie presents a lot of "raw material", for some reason,it is so delicate and sophisticated. It's not an other (soft) porn movie, it is a movie which conveys some of the greatest values in life and presents them in a way we have not been used to seeing. This is what makes it so special. I strongly recommend it to mature and open-minded audiences, with a hard stomach.

I have read about this movie in a TV magazine and decided to give it a try. To be honest, the word "nymphomane"(or "sex addict" as it appears in the English title) was what attracted me since no porn movies ever appear in that magazine. And indeed it was not something to be called a porn movie since porn movies rarely have plots that make one think about one's life. Yes, this movie does have 'many' sex scenes, but there's a lot more to it.

Valére (Belén Fabra) has a very interesting and complicated personality that develops during the movie based on what she hears and experiences and it should be very difficult to portray it but Belén Fabra reveals her self as a splendid actor in a role that suits her perfectly. This movie makes one think about his life, about making decisions and about those who influence them but above all, this movie teaches one very important thing: 'enjoy life'!

All in all, I had a pleasant evening (leaving me full of thoughts) and I would recommend this to everyone, because it can surprise in many ways. I give it a 10/10 for it's originality, deep thoughts and great acting.

*Please do have in mind that this movie does have many scenes that include full nudity and sexual intercourse and is only suitable for mature audience*

In Barcelona, the Spanish Valére (Belén Fabra) is very attached to her French grandmother Marie Tasso (Geraldine Chaplin) and likes to stay with her. While discussing sex with Val, Marie advises her that it would be important to jot her life experience and Val decides to write a diary. Val recalls her promiscuous love life and her lovers since her first sexual experience when she was fifteen year-old. When Val loses her job in a downsizing, she is simultaneously informed that Marie had had a heart attack and she visits her granny that sooner dies. Val seeks a job position and when she is interviewed by the executive Jaime (Leonardo Sbaraglia), she falls in love for the first time with Jaime that is not good in bed and does not give pleasure to Val. They move together to a magnificent apartment and Val believes she has found the man of her life. Val gets a job with the gay Italian Harry (Xavi Corominas) in a fashion house but Jaime becomes jealous and changes his behavior. Val decides to leave Jaime when she gets pregnant and he does not recognize the baby as of his own. When Val recovers from the abortion, she decides to work as a prostitute in a high-class brothel to satisfy her sex drive; but after a period, she realizes that she had not found any difference between marriage and prostitution.

"Diario de una Ninfómana" is an erotic tale about sex, marriage and prostitution seen under the view of a young promiscuous woman that loves sex and has difficulties to satisfy her desire. The film works mostly because of the sexy and bold actress Belén Fabra that breathes sensuality. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Diário Proibido" ("Forbidden Diary")

Valére is very close to her grandmother Marie Tasso (Geraldine Chaplin). She struggles to find love ever since losing her virginity at 15. She writes all of her sexual experiences in a diary. She falls for Jaime but when she tells him about her pregnancy, he becomes unstable and rejects her. She is short of money and takes a job as a high class prostitute.

This is an art house erotic movie but I don't get a sense of tension. She's basically a single woman looking for love. Then she takes the prostitution job for the cash. The character is missing the desperate sexual needs that the title suggests. It needs to heighten the danger. It's artsy nudity without much tension.