DESEO

2002
Dir. Gerardo Vera
Cast: Leonor Watling, Leonardo Sbariglia, Cecilia Roth, Rosa Maria Sarda
SPAIN

This is a film from one of Spain's prime movers in her motion picture
industry, Lola Films. In 1998, it gave us multi-Goya award winning film
La Nina de Tus Ojos (The Girl of Your Dreams)which also stars Spain's finest
actors like Penelope Cruz and Rosa Maria Sarda who happens to be a part of this
film as well.

The plot is basically about two individuals who fall in love and only later
do they discover that they have contradicting ideals. One is a Nazi and the
other a Communist.

The story centers on Elvira and Pablo. Elvira used to belong to a well to do
family but due to misfortune their family lost it all after the death of
their father. Now, they have to settle for a life of lesser glory, in poverty.
Elvira then finds employment as a chambermaid to the Argentinean magnate Pablo.
She happens to fall in love with Pablo despite the fact that she is married and later on discover that he is a Nazi too late.

Elvira disregards her marriage for this man. She wanted books, music, and all those
worldly things; material possessions. She also wanted to satisfy her body with sex.
Elvira turned away from her life to pursue this affair with this man. Now, I see why Plato says that the Appetites can be of great danger when let loose. As Oscar Wilde says, "there is only one thing I could not resist...temptation." The appetite level of the soul which is the last seemed logical why it is arranged in such a way.
There are bodily whims hard to deny oneself of. It is always harder to pursue wisdom. Wisdom can lead individuals to a proper direction yet appetites are more of what is pleasurable and worldly. Making it more concrete, take for example the idea of democracy here in the Philippines. Politics here has gone mad because wisdom does not prevail but all the appetites break loose. The pursuit of the politicians are all to satisfy themselves. And appetites above all are the hardest to resist.

(For now, I'm proud I'm introducing people to World Cinema!!!! I believe it is my job for now, educate people to learn what they are missing. It is a big loss if you haven't heard about those filmmakers outside Hollywood.)

NOTE:
1) Images courtesy of MSN
2) Goya: Spain's equivalent to the Academy Awards