The follow-up to Lovers Of The Arctic Circle is another beguiling piece of romantic storytelling from Basque magic-realist Julio Medem (Cows, The Red Squirrel).
The Lucia of the title is a Madrid waitress (Paz Vega) who runs away to a secluded Mediterranean island after the death of her writer boyfriend Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa). There, amid dazzling sunshine and mysterious rock formations, she encounters guest-house proprietor Elena (Najwa Nimri) and scuba-diver Carlos (Daniel Freire), who together cause her to reassess Lorenzo's life and work...
Shifting between past and present, reality and fantasy, Medem's artistry appears effortless. The multi-layered narrative considers how fiction is both created and consumed, while intense, naturalistic performances collide with dreamy, overexposed imagery (the film was shot on hand-held digital video) and a marvellously melodramatic score. And yes, there's also a smattering of sex.
The most impressive work yet from a hugely impressive filmmaker.
