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Unconscious

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Joaqun Oristrell's UNCONSCIOUS is a a very funny romantic farce set in the supposedly austere psychiatric society of 1913 Barcelona. Len Pardo (Alex Brendemhl) is a psychiatrist who suddenly disappears, telling his devoted pregnant wife, Alma (Leonor Watling), not to look for him. Worried for her husband's life, Alma enlists the help of her very serious brother-in-law, Salvador (Luis Tosar), another psychiatrist, to discover what is going on and to find Len. Meanwhile, Alma's father, Dr. Mira (Juanjo Puigcorb), one of the leading psychiatrists in Barcelona, is awaiting the arrival of Sigmund Freud, who is scheduled to speak at a special conference. Despite Salvador's protestations, Alma--whose sister, Olivia (Nria Prims), is married to Salvador--leads him on a dangerous adventure filled with sex, lies, violence, deception, and Marxist philosophy.

Alma and Salvador make a fabulous team, part Nick and Nora Charles, part Sherlock Holmes and Watson; Watling, a veteran of several Pedro Almodvar films, is particularly engaging in the lead role, and Tosar as Salvador--with his hysterical facial hair--is a hoot the whole way through. Mercedes Sampietro adds to the humor as the Pardos's villainous housekeeper. Oristrell balances the seriousness with the farfetched in this old-fashioned romp, cowritten with Teresa de Pelegr and Dominic Harari, the couple who directed and penned the nonstop comedy ONLY HUMAN. The period piece is enhanced by frames that kick off each new chapter, as well as by the great soundtrack by Sergio Moure.
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- Rating - for sexual content including dialogue, and some drug material.
Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 80027
Credits

Leonor Watling, Luis Tosar, Alex Brendemuhl, Mercedes Sampietro, Juanjo Puigcorbe, Marieta Orozco, Nuria Prims
Critic Reviews

3 stars out of 5 -- "A breathless, vibrant sex comedy, UNCONSCIOUS puts the farce into Freud....It's hysterical..."
Total Film
"The Barcelona locations are gorgeous, with interiors and exteriors in the ornate style known as modernisme....With just enough glamour and humour to satisfy European heritage aficionados."
Sight and Sound
"[I]ts fusion of a Sherlock Holmes-style detective story with a delirious bedroom farce in the spirit of early Pedro Almodovar is frequently very funny."
New York Times