Lucía is a young waitress in Madrid. After the loss of her long-time boyfriend, a writer, she seeks refuge on a quiet, secluded Mediterranean island. There, bathed in an atmosphere of fresh air, dazzling sun, and glistening deep blue water, Lucía begins to discover the dark corners of her past relationship. It is as if she is reading forbidden passages of a novel, which the author only now, from afar, allows her to read.
From acclaimed writer/director Julio Medem (LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE), SEX AND LUCÍA is a visually stunning and thematically adventurous look at passion, elusive relationships and deep bonds between people who thought they were strangers. SEX AND LUCÍA stars Paz Vega (TALK TO HER), in her Goya Award winning performance as Lucía, Tristán Ulloa (OPEN YOUR EYES) as Lorenzo, Najwa Nimri (LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE) as Elena, Daniel Freire (ADVENTURES OF GOD) as Carlos, and Elena Anaya (WHERE THE WORLD ENDS) as Belén. The film's haunting score by Alberto Iglesias (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) also garnered a Goya Award.
SEX AND LUCÍA played to critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and Rotterdam Film Festival, following up a successful run in its native Spain where it was a huge hit. Produced by Sogecine, it is being distributed in the United States by Palm Pictures.
BACKGROUND
After directing LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, Julio Medem wanted to present a less downbeat approach to human relationships. He set out to write SEX AND LUCÍA for Najwa Nimri, who plays Elena in the film. Nimri starred as Ana in LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, and Medem wanted to give her a less tragic end than the one she had in that acclaimed film. He also wanted to work with his girlfriend, Montse Sanz, who is the art director on SEX AND LUCÍA and is responsible for the film's evocative and luminous look. Medem would later go on to dedicate the film to Sanz.
Medem began writing the story after inspiration hit during a vacation on the tiny island of Formentera, a trip he made prior to directing LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. When he arrived to the little-known island off the coast of Spain, he immediately knew he found the setting for his next film. The story began with the development of the character Lucía and the beautiful island she escapes to. Simultaneously he began developing a novel entitled EL SEXO, which he later turned into a separate script. Medem then set about joining the two scripts. One year and eight drafts later, SEX AND LUCÍA was born.
The character of Lucía demanded Medem find an actress that could convey vulnerability and combine it with sex appeal, a difficult combination to portray. When asked about the character of Lucía, and finding the actress that had the ability to play her, Medem said, "You could maybe say she is a 'healthy' girl, someone with a clear line, and that's when I found Paz Vega, who I think is wonderful."
A trademark of Medem as a filmmaker is the long rehearsal period that he insists on before filming begins. All of his films start with his original stories that grow out of his experience and his imagination. To better convey the feel of each script he believes the intense rehearsal period brings the actors closer to his words, and helps him transfer the character from the page to the actor. Says Medem of this exhaustive but integral part of the process, "During the rehearsals, I try to get to the center of the character with the actor, and once I feel we have captured the character, i get out and look at it from the outside. It's a very intense process during which things start to change."
This almost organic approach to the script shows in the depth of the characters, the daring, sexy, and evocative unfolding of relationships, and in the love story whose past and future enhances the present. SEX AND LUCÍA is a luminous film, a haunting journey, and an extremely involving love story.
The Director: Julio Medem
Born in Donosti, San Sebastian, Julio Medem is one of Spain's most recognized and honored directors. Medem has received critical acclaim and many awards, with his films having competed in festivals around the world, including Cannes, Venice, Tokyo, and Sundance.
SEX AND LUCIA, in addition to being an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival, was honored with 12 Goya nominations and went on to win 2 Goyas: Best New Actress for Paz Vega and Best Music for Alberto Iglesias.
Medem's last film, LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE garnered tremendous international attention at festivals from Venice to Karlovy Vary to Valladolid to Sundance, and won 2 Goya Awards, for Best Editing and Best Music. His 1996 film, TIERRA (EARTH) was an official selection at Cannes and in addition to 2 Goya Awards, also won the Best Spanish Film of the Year at the Valladolid Film Festival.
This award-winning career was foreseen with Medem's first film, VACAS (COWS), which garnered the Goya for Best New Director; won the BFI's Sutherland Trophy for "The Most Original and Imaginative First Film Shown in Great Britain;" the Best Film at the Turin Film Festival; and the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival. LA ARDILLA ROJA (THE RED SQUIRREL) continued this pattern with the Audience Award for Best Foreign Film at the Cannes Film Festival; the Special Jury Award and Critics Award at the Gerander Fantastic Film Festival; the Golden Palm Award for Outstanding Independent Film at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival; Film Creation of the Year at the Luis Bunuel Awards; and Film Revelation of the Year by Positif Magazine in France. The film also garnered Medem a Special Award for Direction at the Denver International Film Festival.
