Lolita's Club

Lolita's Club

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Vicente Aranda
Produced by Andres Vicente Gomez
Written by Vicente Aranda
Starring Eduardo Noriega,
Flora Martínez,
Belén Fabra
Héctor Colomé
Music by José Nieto
Cinematography José Luis Alcaine
Edited by Teresa Font
Production
company
Trivisión, S.L
Distributed by Flat inema S.L
Release dates
 30 November 2007 (Spain)
Running time
 101 minutes
Country Spain
Language Spanish
Box office €360,749[1]

Canciones de amor en Lolita's Club (English: Lolita’s Club) is a 2007 Spanish film written and directed by Vicente Aranda. It stars Eduardo Noriega and Flora Martínez. The plot follows the story of twin brothers, one is a coldhearted violent police officer, the other is a helpless romantic with a mental disability. The two brothers are tragically involved with a prostitute who works in the bordello that gives the film its title. The film was adapted from the novel Canciones de Amor en Lolita's Club written by Juan Marsé.[2]

Plot

Raúl Fuentes, a brooding police officer prone to violence and alcohol, is placed on unpaid leave after he has beaten Moncho Tristán, the son of a local drug trafficker. Mazuera, a snitch from a drug mafia ring, tells Raúl that members of the drug clan are looking for him to kill him. Mazuera strikes a deal with Raúl. He would give him some documents that prove the involvement of the Tristán family in drug trafficking and prostitution if Raúl reveals the story after he has left the country. Raúl decides to leave the incident on hold and travels from Pontevedra to Alicante where his family lives.

Raúl's visit, the first in two years, takes his family by surprise. His father, José, is not thrilled to see him. Their relationship is tenser due to the fact that Olga, José’s young wife, was originally Raúl's girlfriend. Raúl does not care about anybody, with the only exception of his twin brother Valentín, who is mentally disabled. Valentín is the opposite of his brother: sweet, soft and well liked by everyone. When Raúl finds out that his brother is working in a nightclub and has fallen in love with one of the prostitutes, he gets very upset and goes in search of Valentín at the bordello called Lolita's club.

In Lolita's club Raúl confronts Milena, the prostitute that is his brother's love interest. The beautiful Milena is an immigrant from Colombia, who has left behind her daughter under the care of her mother and works to provide them with a better life, sending them money frequently. Although only twenty five years old, Milena is the oldest and the most popular of the girls at the club. The other girls are mostly under-age like Nancy, who is from Cuba and Jasmina, from Ecuador. A hard nocturnal life of prostitution and drugs has taken its toll on Milena. She is goodhearted and really cares about Valentín. Valentín works at Lolita's club doing the errands for the girls and is liked and protected by all.

Raíl threatens Milena if she does not break her close attachment to his naive brother. Valentín, traumatized by the relationship that his brother had with Olga, is afraid that Raúl would get involved with Milena. A sexual tension arises between them. Things are further complicated with the links that the policeman and the prostitute have with the mafia. Raúl plans to have sex with Milena and have his brother caught them in the act. It happens exactly as he intended. Two hit men sent by the mafia have found Raúl's whereabouts and mistakenly kills Valentín instead of Raíl when Valentín was running away from the scene of his brother betrayal with Milena.

After Valentin's funeral, Raúl is a broken man who has nobody to turn to for understanding. Even Olga is now indifferent towards his pain. He has joyless sex with Maria, a female coworker, who comes to inform him of the killing of Mazuera by members of the mafia ring. Raúl confronts Tristán but he is not looking for revenge. Instead he demands Milena's passport and freedom from the net of prostitution. Back at Lolita's club, Raúl offers Milena her passport and freedom and declares his love for her. She rejects him and only retains her documents. She wants to keep making money. Raúl reminds her of Valentín's tragic end. Of the two brother it was Valentín who she liked and loved. Later, Raúl enters Milena's room at the club just as Valentín used to do, taking over his brother's personality.

Cast

DVD release

The film was released on DVD in the U.S. in March 2009 in Spanish with English subtitles, as the options offered.

Notes

  1. ↑ Majarín, Una Vida de Cine, p. 523
  2. ↑ Majarín, Una Vida de Cine, p. 526

References

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