Spanish Fly (1999)

Kino

Love the Hard Way

Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.

Rating: R

Release Date: Dec 1, 1999

Running Time: 93 mins.

Country Of Origin: Spain

Country Of Origin: United Kingdom

Country Of Origin: France

starring: Daphna Kastner, Toni Canto, Antonio Castro, Martin Donovan, Danny Huston, Marianne Sagebrecht, Felipe Velez, Chantal Rios, Yoima, Pablo Scola

director: Daphna Kastner, Youssaf Boukari

Zoe is researching a book on machismo in Madrid, where she interviews Antonio, an arrogant translator and prime example of her subject. However, romance with him is postponed when she meets Carl, a professor who owns a bookstore. This relationship goes wrong, as did her previous one with John, an ex who shows up in Madrid to complicate the situation. Comic situations ensue among the main characters, as Zoe moves towards a better realisation of what she wants romantically.

Judging from her appearance, it's quite clear that Zoe (Daphna Kastner, who also wrote and directed) is sexually repressed. Wearing her hair in a tight bun and buttoned up in her proper business suit, this journalist seems walking cliche.

Having fled a bad relationship, she has landed in Spain to research a book on machismo. Trouble is, she doesn't speak the language, and her interpreter, Antonio (the handsome Toni Canto, oozing charm and charisma), irritates her, a sure sign that they are meant…