20 Centimeters (2006)

Thanks to Pedro Almodovar, Spain has birthed more directors who have explored the fluidity between the sexes in some truly groundbreaking movies. Now comes Ramon Salazar who recruits Rossy de Palma, an Almodovarian veteran, in a small but crucial part, and an actress previously seen in CRIMEN FERPECTO, Monica Cervera. Both have the physicalities suited for the nature of the roles they are playing -- with their androgynous faces, they actually do look like men on the verge of being female (which, actually, is what de Palma's character has already become). Both are women of the night, looking for a quick fix to give them enough cash to get through their petty existences. Only that Marieta (Cervera) suffers from narcolepsy, and when she passes out, she moves into the realms of camera! lights! action! and the world fills with pop tunes in both English and Spanish. In these musicals, she is the star at the center, she is the focus of everyone's attention and the object of total adulation.Not an original move -- it's been done before, most recently in CHICAGO where the musical numbers all occurred within Roxie Hart's mind and she didn't have to pass out for them to take place -- but 20 CENTIMETROS is a daring piece of work. It does to the genre what TRANSAMERICA started, by bringing a subject that has a long way to go still in terms of discussion and acceptance and bringing it to the spotlight (literally) under the form of a woman who is also on the down-and-out and needs that extra money to be able to "break free" as the musical number late in the film -- a Queen song Marieta performs -- points at. What TRANSAMERICA didn't do, and this movie certainly does, is flip the roles between the sexes and give Marieta the dominating power in all of her sexual encounters. It only shows how different the European position on the issue is -- where Americans still tend to emasculate men in this position in order to establish what is traditional and non-traditional, Europeans could care less about "who's on top, who's on bottom" and when Marieta falls for a hunk (Pablo Puyol) who has a penchant for being on the submissive side of her 20 centimeters (for lack of a better term), roles fly out the window real quick.However, it's here where the movie somehow fails... if both Marieta and her Man are happy with each other, her insistence on crossing the ultimate line seems a little selfish. However, having seen several documentaries on the subject of male-to-female transsexuals, their issues go much deeper than that. So it's possible to assume that both Marieta and her Guy are two people who are almost right for each other. Just not quite. At least, in this way, 20 CENTIMETROS doesn't become an exercise in schmaltzy happiness, but still -- somehow I believe it would have been even more groundbreaking to leave things as they were between the two characters (since the movie invests a wallop in establishing how right they are for each other and both actors do manage to create an intense couple) and not make Marieta so pig-headed in her quest for femininity. After all, her Guy does accept her as she is. It's too bad she cannot do the same.

"20 Centímetros" (2005), written and directed by Ramón Salazar, is the story of a transvestite who would like to be rid of the 20 centimeters-- about 8 inches--of sexual organ that prevents her from being the woman she wants to be. The plot becomes more complex because Marieta (Mónica Cervera) falls in love with a man who likes her just the way she is.There are two more subplots--one involves Marieta's house-mate, who is a wildly inept businessman, and the other is about a woman who lives in Marieta's apartment house and who is involved with some very shady deals, that are often frustrated because she can't find a babysitter.The supposed charm of the movie comes from the fact that Marieta has narcolepsy. When she falls into a trance, she dreams of herself in Technicolor musical production numbers. The problem with this film for me was that the musical numbers, which should have kept the movie from just being a Spanish "Transamerica," weren't very charming. The classic movie musicals are colorful and vibrant--these were more cutting edge and threatening.I don't see "20 Centimetros" as a GLBT film any more than "Transamerica" was a GLBT film. However, when it was shown at Rochester's Dryden Theatre, the crowd was composed almost exclusively of gay male couples. The man who introduced the film said the he chose it because of the musical numbers. I'm not sure if he had previewed it before he selected it. It's the kind of movie that looks better on paper than it plays on the screen.

A narcoleptic transsexual (Monica Cervera) wants the 20 centermeters between her legs removed so she can become a true women. Then she meets hot, handsome, hunky Raul (Pablo Puyol) who likes what she has between her legs--a lot. She loves him...but enough to keep what she has? Also the film shows her fantasies and dreams which break out into elaborate (to say the least) musical numbers.The basic idea (depressing story intercut with elaborate musical numbers) has been done before ("Pennies From Heaven", "Dancer in the Dark", "Moulin Rogue")--this is only different in the subject matter. I mostly liked it--the musical numbers are just great--full of energy and some incredible dancing (the "True Love" number stops the show). But the film is slowly paced and depressing. The acting of Cervera and Puyol (who has guts taking this role on) saves it. Also this has some fairly explicit nudity (male) and sex--be forewarned. Worth catching. I give it an 8.

this story of a narcoleptic transvestite hooker with more than an angry inch has the audacity to open with a musical number from the Spanish classic TOMBOLA. It's stands the Spanish musical on it's head better than even Almodovar has managed before.For those familiar with Spanish cinema from the Franco era, this is a worthy companion piece to BAD EDUCATION. The two films together are the equivalent of a stealth attack on SARITA MONTIEL, MARISOL and JOSELITO movies.For those unfamiliar, what remains is a camp satire of the MTV generation where style overcomes substance and drama is really black comedy no matter how tragic.Fine performances from a great cast, particularly Monica Cervera, who manages to be ugly and sexy at the same time and Pablo Puyol as the masculine stud who likes Marieta's eight inches a little too much.Worth seeing at once!