Law of Desire

Pablo, a successful film director, cannot come to terms with the loss of his beloved. When the young Antonio enters his life, his fascination quickly turns into an obsession. At the same time, Pablo tries to sort out his complicated relationship with his sister Tina – an actress raising her daughter as a single mother. The feelings that were meant to bring solace lead the characters ever closer to jealousy, violence, and tragedy.

Considered by many to be Pedro Almodóvar’s first fully mature work, The Law of Desire is also one of the most important queer films of 1980s European cinema. The director blends melodrama, thriller, and romance to create a story of love devoid of compromise and social pretense. The cast brings together his most important collaborators from that period: Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela, and a young Antonio Banderas. It is a film in which Almodóvar finds his own voice – intense, emotional, and ruthlessly honest.