When I first watched this film in 2005, I loved it, although at the time I was perhaps ready to agree that the second half of the film stumbles in a lot. But having recently seen 'Camera Buff' by Krzysztof Kieslowski, I am absolutely convinced 'Torremolinos 73' was inspired by it, in one way or another. This is not to deny originality to Berger's creation, but the acquaintance with the Polish film can seriously help understand and evaluate 'Torremolinos'. It can let us appreciate some details (compare, for instance, a cameo appearance of another Polish filmmaker, Zanussi, in 'Camera Buff' to the ever-powerful presence of Bergman's loudspeaker in 'Torremolinos'), but, most importantly, it allows to see, what exactly the subject of the film is. If our understanding is not informed by 'Camera Buff', then 'Torremolinos' is a vinaigrette of politics, porn and art-house cinema. If it is, then the main topic is exactly the one that makes the film somewhat 'heavy' in its second part and which was one of the central topics in Kieslowski's film. Cinema becomes a wedge, which is hammered between the routine and creativity. Aspiration to make 'serious' films and the cherishing of a film as one's child violently confronted the parental responsibilities of Kieslowski's protagonist, who gave in to creative impulses. The conflict in 'Torremolinos' is slightly reversed in that cinema becomes a more complex agent: it is the reason for misunderstanding, but it also unveils the problem and in the end even helps to resolve it. It is nevertheless the importance of the choice and its connection to various problems concerning family life that bring a kind of dullness into the second part of 'Torremolinos'. In this case it might be useful to agree with those who call this part 'subtler' in comparison to the upbeat start. In particular, this second part contains an easily-unnoticed topic of how much insult the male pride can take, and whether or not it is worth being guarded when love is at stake.
Review of Torremolinos 73
