Chain of Desire

I was unable to find this film at any of my local video stores and had to order it offline. I was shocked and confused when I first saw it because it seemed like there was no tangible plot and was purely for the sake of eroticism. A few months later my friend saw it on my shelf and was intrigued by the title so I told her to pop it in. This time around I paid close attention to the details of the story and I finally understood the delicate web that director, Lopez was creating. I was amazed at how much of the story had been lost on me the first time around and I was even more amazed at the lack of public attention this movie received. It's languid, sultry, plot, weaves a candid, sly tale of adult life during the 90's, subtly juxtaposing sexual innocence and promiscuity into a wonderful masterpiece that serves as an excellent social commentary of the time. Artfully, shot and produced, this movie is not for light viewing. It's an intense film that requires thought and analyzation.

Chain of desire is very strong movie that takes you right from the beginning into the whirls of desires. Temistocles Lopez, the Director, has depicted and intense human drama that touches us with an intense feeling of déjà vu but rarely understood. Linda Fiorentino, the untamed actress of hollywood gives us here an unforgetable performance. An excellent movie, magically constructed that makes the difference in the "all-the-same" American movies.

I got talked into seeing this movie years ago by some pretentious friends, wasn't all that impressed by it, and insulted it gratuitously on the walk home from the theater. It's not very well-acted, the plot is incomprehensible inasmuch as it even exists, and the sex scenes, explicit and implicit, are nowhere near as titillating as the title or promotion would suggest. But somehow I remember this movie with near-perfect clarity over a decade later. Why? The structure is fascinating -- I'd never seen a narrative structured as a progression of random encounters. And even if no scene is particularly compelling and no character is especially distinctive, the movie manages to be thought-provoking. Since every scene is obviously intended to depict a seduction, you start to wonder about the nature of attraction and power relationships. On a cinematic level, New York looks pretty, Linda Fiorentino is hot, the gay boys are all handsomely lit, and Malcolm McDowell is an embarrassment to the art of acting. Stop now before you hurt someone else.

A friend recently gave me a copy of this very beautiful, funny, moving and sophisticated movie. One of the most poignant and intelligent depictions of sexuality I've ever seen. Every single actor playing one of the 14 main characters in the interlinked stories makes an impression. As does the moody photography capturing "La Dolce Vita" of 1980's Manhattan. This is a very special cinematic experience. Not flawless in its overall ambition, but still fascinating as a thought-provoking and panoramic chronicle of urban life at the end of the millennium.

Great dramatic little movie. I didn't know it was that difficult to find CHAIN OF DESIRE until I read about it here. I watched it about 3 years ago. When it aired on late night, it was labelled as an erotic thriller but turned out to be as a great drama about urban couples. Malcom Mc Dowall delivers a fine performance, I couldn't believe that Alex from A Clockwork Orange was in this movie. Linda Fiorentino is as sexy and beautiful as always, and her acting is convincing.

Highly recommended, try to search for it, and buy it if you can. 7/10.