When it was first released, Spanish filmmaker Bigas Luna’s 1992 absurdist drama-comedy seemed to belong in the same category of melodramatic farce and post-Franco sexual liberation as the popular arthouse works of Pedro Almodóvar. But today, Jamón Jamón--while still often enjoyable--is more obviously lacking in the kind of sophisticated, self-aware black comedy that Almodóvar mastered in the 1980s. A dark, tongue-in-cheek tale of intertwined betrayal, the lure of bad boys on motorcycles, and forbidden fruit on opposite sides of a class divide, the film stars Penelope Cruz as Silvia, a lovely worker in an underwear factory in a small Spanish town. The pregnant Silvia is secretly engaged to the son (Jordi Mollá) of the factory’s rich owner, Conchita (Stefania Sandrelli), who is horrified that her boy has taken up with the daughter of a prostitute (Carmen Galiena). Conchita conspires to derail her son’s love for Silvia by throwing Raul (Javier Bardem), a beastly seducer, at Silvia. Raw desires end up tearing apart everyone’s hopes and expectations, leading to tragic (yet also amusing) consequences. But while the cast is good and a climactic fight in the desert is impressive, the film ultimately winds up feeling superficial. Optional. (T. Keogh)
Jamón Jamón
Olive, 95 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99 Volume 33, Issue 3
Jamón Jamón
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