DVD Review: Don’t Look Down

By Ed Grant -- Video Business, 3/9/2009

STRAND
Street: March 31
Prebook: now
> Erotic comedy about a sleepwalker who receives lessons in sex from a lively young lady.

Magical realism and Tantric-style sex blend together in this erotically-charged Argentinian light comedy. The plot concerns a young man (Leandro Stivelman) whose sleepwalking causes him to literally fall into the bed of a pretty practitioner (Antonella Costa) of sex rituals. The film’s whimsy and intelligent scripting qualify it as a “couples” picture, rather than a softcore outing aimed only at men. In fact, the film’s seminal message seems to urge males to slow down in the bedroom, so it may well develop a following among women viewers.

Shelf Talk: If properly positioned, Don’t Look Down could easily have the long shelf life of similar erotic, Spanish-language dramas, such as Jamon Jamon and Y Tu Mama Tambien. The film’s whimsy makes it similar to the works of Pedro Almodovar, whose work no doubt influenced director Eliseo Subiela (Man Facing Southeast).

Foreign-language drama, color, NR (mature themes, sexual situations, nudity), 85 min., DVD $24.99, in Spanish with English subtitles
Extras: none
Director: Eliseo Subiela
First Run: DVD premiere