The Chambermaid on the Titanic

Forget Jack and Rose. I was much more enthralled with the passionate romance between Horty (Olivier Martinez), a foundry worker who wins his company's contest to watch the Titanic leave on its maiden voyage, and Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), the ravishing chambermaid who knocks on his hotel room door desiring a place to spend the night. What happens next? When Horty returns to his village and suspects his wife has been unfaithful with his boss, he spins a mesmerizing tale of a night of forbidden passion that transports all who hear it. Although Horty's fantasies are indelibly etched, this is not a film about sex, but more a celebration of the creative process and the transforming power of storytelling. With scant nudity, director Bigas Luna (whose last stateside hit, Jamon Jamon was a more bawdy and ribald sensation) proves that the imagination is the most powerful erogenous zone. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)