Law of Desire
Centering gay characters and steamy graphic sex, truly ahead of its time, Almodóvar’s Law of Desire delves into the depths of human desire in a brilliant film that is sensual, tragic, and absurdly hilarious. When porn director Pablo’s unrequited crush Juan leaves for the summer, he quickly picks up the extremely attractive Antonio (Antonio Banderas). After a passionate tryst, possessive Antonio goes to extreme lengths to keep Pablo to himself. Parallel to this doomed love triangle, Pablo’s transgender sister Tina (Carmen Maura) deals with personal dramas.

DIRECTOR: Pedro Almodóvar. WRITTEN BY: Pedro Almodóvar. CAST: Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Miguel Molina. 1987. 102 min. Spain. Color. Spanish. DCP.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
In his fifth collaboration with Almodóvar, Antonio Banderas plays Ricki, who, recently out of a mental institution, seeks out porn actor Marina (Victoria Abril), with whom he had had a previous one-night stand. Convinced that they are meant to be together, he kidnaps her and keeps her tied up in her apartment, until she eventually submits to his charms. A hilarious spoof of heteronormative relationships, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! blends mad-cap comedy, romance, and horror, creating something uniquely genuine and tender.

DIRECTOR: Pedro Almodóvar. WRITTEN BY: Pedro Almodóvar. CAST: Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles León, Francisco Rabal. 1989. 101 min. Spain. Color. Spanish. 35mm. Print courtesy of Moving Image Archives, University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

All film screenings in the Pedro Almodóvar series are available here. 

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.