Locarno

In Bed

En La Cama (Chile-Germany)

By LESLIE FELPERIN

A Ceneca Producciones (Chile)/CWM Film Co. (Germany) production, in association with FONDART (Chile)/NRW (Germany). (International sales: Ceneca, Santiago.) Produced by Adrian Solar, Christoph Meyer-Wiel. Directed by Matias Bize. Screenplay, Julio Rojas.
 
With: Blanca Lewin, Gonzalo Valenzuela.
(Spanish dialogue)
 

Unfolding entirely in a cheap motel, Chilean sex-comedy-drama "In Bed" features a couple (Blanca Lewin and Gonzalo Valenzuela) who've just met hours before working through a packet of condoms together and having a one-night relationship in miniature. Pic's elegantly simple, Richard Linklater-esque concept, written by Julio Rojas, is energetically consummated by sophomore helmer Matias Bize ("Saturday") and its handsome leads. NC-17 level explicitness may have prophylactic effect on sales, although Hispanic territories probably will be more turned on. Trysts at further fests looks likely.

Film opens with noisy sounds of lovemaking and a literal blur of bedclothes and just glimpsed flesh. After the sex is over and their underwear is back on, Daniela (Lewin) and Bruno (Valenzuela) don't even remember each other's first names. They just met at a party in Santiago, and Bruno offered Daniela a lift home which led them to this garishly decorated motel room.

The couple discusses past sexual exploits and longer relationships, watches TV, and shares a bath which leads to a second bout of rumpy-pumpy. During a post-coital massage, Bruno lets slip that he's leaving in a week for Belgium to start a post-doctorate degree, and suddenly the flicker of hope goes out in Daniela's eyes. Aiming to wound, she remarks that casual sex means nothing, and Bruno wordless reaction conveys injured feelings.

Like Beckett's tramps in "Waiting for Godot," they announce several times it's time to go, but neither actually leaves and the mood lightens again, leading to a third, tender tussle in the sack, humorously interrupted when Bruno inadvertently calls her by his ex-g.f.'s name, much to Daniela's annoyance.

By the end, the two have revealed major secrets they've never told before, emboldened by the belief they won't ever meet again. Like "Before Sunrise," open-ending positively invites post-screening debate between realist and romantic-minded auds as to whether the characters will or won't ultimately get it together.

With such a sparse, quasi-theatrical set up, onus is largely on the thesps to hold interest. Luckily, Lewin (star of Bize's debut, "Saturday") and Valenzuela (a veteran of local TV) are both toothsome enough to look at nearly naked for duration of pic's brisk 85-minute running time and sufficiently talented to convince entirely as two slightly damaged young people who've already been round the block a few times.

Bize strives to make visual texture more interesting by using largely handheld camera, lensed by jointly credited Gabriel Diaz and Cristian Castro, and lots of nervous jumpcuts snipped by Paula Talloni. Split-screen effect is even used twice to spice things up, although such tics and tricks feel somewhat unnecessary. Both actors are glimpsed full frontal nude, though judicious trims could make for lower ratings where necessary.

Camera (color, DV-to-35mm), Gabriel Diaz, Cristian Castro; editor, Paula Talloni; music, Diego Fontecilla; art directors, Constanza Meza-Lopehandia, Mercedes Marambio; sound (Dolby Digital), Boris Herrera. Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Filmmakers of the Present), Aug. 4, 2005. Running time: 85 MIN.