Emma Suárez & Rosario Flores in "Contra el Viento" [1990 Spain]

Paco Periñán's directorial full-length feature debut, "Contra el Viento" [Eng. Title: Against the Wind] should have kick-started a successful career - he was also nominated for a Goya the following year, but for reasons unknown, it was also the last film he's directed - he is an assistant director (1st or 2nd) these days.

It is a strange film with several plot elements in it which go nowhere. It is also a rare film and I've never been able to get hold of it in its native Spanish language. The DVD from which these scenes were cut is from an Italian version, and as with all dubbed films, subtle nuances are lost in narration. The end product looks like a cheap 80's thriller.

Juan leaves his parental home to live in an Andalusian village, fleeing an incestuous relationship with his sister Ana. We are given very little background regarding this, considering the fact that they don't come from a broken home. But Ana comes looking for him after a year without contact, and decides to live in his one-room shed, much to Juan's discomfort - he'd been trying to leave behind his past and had just started a relationship with local girl Rosario. We see the siblings still in love, but while Juan knows the relationship is wrong, Ana continues to harbour a distorted vision of familial love. She demands his attention even as he tries to avoid her, and when she'd just about given up, notices evidence that he still has feelings for her as before, and decides to stay in the village with an engineer, by lying to Juan that she's leaving.

This is an unusual role for the beautiful Emma Suárez, who plays Ana. technically, while the editing is decent, I didn't find the soundtrack all that appealing, and can't comment on the direction as I've only seen the dubbed version. The film was shot in full frame, due to which some close-ups have an abstract quality about it. The lighting could have been better, but difficult to tell as this may also be due to average DVD mastering. In the compilation, I have slightly increased the intensity to bring out whatever detail there is. The film is however here for its rarity, as rare as the nude scene from Rosario Flores who plays Rosario - she didn't take her kit off even for Almodovar in Habla con Ella!



Scene Guide:

• When Ana arrives unexpectedly, Juan pleads with Rosario if he could spend the night with her. She relents.
• Returning home the following morning, Juan sees Ana asleep in his bed.
• That night, Ana persuades Juan into having sex - she asks him later why he left Madrid without informing her.
• Ana with the engineer - displaying her best features, but letting him know she's come to this god-forsaken place for the only person she'd ever loved.
• A heated sex session between Ana and Juan, with tantalising glimpses of Emma's breasts. From what I could see, this scene could have been executed a lot better.

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