ABSTRACT
Pedro Almodóvar s La ley del deseo (The Law of Desire, 1987) is a deliriously romantic, relatively sexually explicit, gay melodrama. The narrative has two plot lines: the relationship between Pablo (Eusebio Poncela) and his transsexual sister Tina (Carmen Maura) and a gay romantic triangle —Pablo is loved by Antonio (Antonio Banderas) but loves Juan (Miguel Molina) who is straight. The film's exploration of the protagonists' relationships is very tender, giving full due to their emotional dimension while revealing joyful and sensual sex lives. The characters are easy to identify with, their emotions operatic, their actions mythic. And it is erotic. In the age of AIDS, it is the last thing I expected to see in a relatively big-budget mainstream film, especially a Spanish one.
