Monday, March 20, 2006

El Calentito (18)

Chus Gutiérrez, 2005, Spain (90 mins)
Veronica Sánchez, Macarena Gómez, Ruth Díaz, Nuria González,

Sara is a shy teenage virgin, ready to reluctantly drop her draws for her creepy boyfriend when one night he takes her to the El Calentino club and she discovers Punk! What’s more this is all-girl punk, and the band Siux have just had a bust up and need a replacement member for their meeting at a record company the next day. Her highly-strung mother may not like it, but the time has come for Sara to be introduced to her inner punk goddess.
Lesbian encounters, speed snorting, sexual awakenings, trannie unionisation, a military coup and a cameo from Almodóvar ensue. The music may be more Shampoo than The Slits but El Calentito has an irresistible exuberance and amphetamine energy that keep the story thrilling and the characters charming to the end. A zesty coming of age story that gives fascism a good bashing. Girls rock. Kate Taylor

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