Law of Desire Reviews

Spain's acclaimed director, Pedro Almodovar, who scored a huge international success with WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, has stated he wants to reach audiences through "their hearts, their minds, and their genitals." In LAW OF DESIRE, he more than fulfills this challenge, offering an exhilarating romp detailing the erotic adventures of Pablo (Eusebio Poncela), a gay filmmaker; his bisexual lover, Juan (Miguel Molina); his transsexual "sister," Tina (Carmen Maura), the mother of a teenager fathered by her when "she" was a "he"; and Antonio (Antonio Banderas), who becomes involved with both Pablo and Tina as the story accelerates to its tragic finale. No one can accuse Almodovar of bashfulness. LAW OF DESIRE works overtime, piling one eccentric plot element atop another... and it works. Flashy? Yes. Vulgar? Yes. Impassioned? Thanks to the wonderful Maura and Banderas, definitely. In this, his seventh feature, Almodovar reveals himself to be a supremely stylish and self-assured filmmaker, one of the bright lights of international cinema.