20 Centimetres [2005] [DVD]

Meandering, overlong and sort of dull in parts - when it really shouldn't be at all - the Spanish film 20 Centimeters is a heart-felt exploration of a transvestite prostitute whose life is driven by the desire to get rid of her male appendage all of which 20 centimeters long.

Endlessly weighed down by a bunch of uninspired B-grade musical numbers - some of which are better than others - the stars Malaga-born actress Mónica Cervera plays Adolfo/Marieta, a transvestite who wants to get rid of what's between her legs so that she can be liberated into a life of unadulterated womanhood.

The problem is that prostitutes in Madrid don't get paid that much, so she's having problems raising the money for the surgery. To make things worse for her, she's also a narcoleptic, dozing off and leaving the menial tasks of this world behind her to star in her very own dreamed-up Technicolor musical spectaculars.

Marieta lives in a run-down apartment complex with her best friend Tomas (Miguel O'Dogherty). Most of the building is inhabited by a bunch of women who shout obsenities to each other through the stariwells, but for Marieta solace is provided in the form of buddy Berta (Concha Galan), who's involved in unspecified shady dealings, and won't tell Marieta what they are. While Berta is at work, Marieta looks after Berta's son Paulito (Richard Shaw).

Marieta takes a job as a railroad station cleaner, but falls alseep on the job and is fired. But in the meantime she thinks she's found love in hunky fruit packer Raul (Pablo Puyol), with whom she embarks on an intense sexual relationship. Unfortunately for Marieta, there's one problem - he absolutely loves her monstrous appendage, consequently the poor Marieta is placed in a position of whether to choose true love over her life long dream of becoming a woman.

While 20 Centimetres is baudy and irreverent in spots - something that American films of this subject matter tend to avoid - and provides the occasional chuckle, there's not much of a plot and most of the film aimlessly wanders through Marietta's life. She screams at Tomas and endures his insults, she talks with the other girls she works with about her surgery, has a couple of steamy encounters with Paul, and essentially bides her time until she can afford the operation.

The dance numbers aren't that good - while there's obviously some good dancers here, the chorography is rather pedestrian and somewhat juvenile, and because Cervera can't actually sing that well, she and the musical numbers grow a bit tiresome and also slow down the pacing which stops the story from progressing as quickly as it should.

On the positive side, director/screenwriter Ramon Salazar has obviously given a lot of thought to how transvestites live from day-to-day and he doesn't shy away from showing their gritty street-wise existence along with their hopes, dreams and disappointments - his tone is never condescending or patronizing.

My main problem with this film is that Salazar throws in so many calculated oddities that it all comes across as quirkiness for oddness sake, a little bit too screwball; and this, coupled with the fact that you know from the outset that Marieta is being played by a woman, ends up spoiling much of the authenticity that Salazar seems to be going out of his way to create. Mike Leonard December 06.

I watched this film at an arty Spanish Film Festival two years ago and it was full of beret-wearing appreciaters of the arts. They frantically made notes and nodded in the right places and I felt extremely out-of-place (being an IT Consultant). But, once I stopped trying to see the "hidden meanings" and "cultural significance" in this film, I really started to enjoy it! Just thinking about some of the scenes can make me laugh out loud and I'm always telling people about the funny and outrageous things that are depicted. I really recommend it to people who just want to have a fun evening. And you may even find it to be poignant!

The film is one of my favourite ! Monica Cervera is amazing and the musical numbers a delight !
Enjoy the spanish mood !!