Reviewed by Paul Bray
(10/08/08)

Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment's pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs?
Will you still love me tomorrow?

--Carole King, Tapestry

I thought of the lyrics of Carole King after seeing Matias Bize's excellent film En La Cama (In the Bed). There are few albums that capture a generation, but Carole King's Tapestry surely is one. The haunting lyrics tell about sex, tell about being a woman, and about being human. Her lyrics capture so much more than 1971 feminism. They capture the wish of a generation to embrace a freer sexuality, without dishonoring its value. Carole King's lyrics are the better prayers of my generation.

As with the lyrics of Tapestry, the dialogue in En La Cama will haunt you for days. We meet the couple in a hotel room, in bed making love. The couple found each other at a friend's party, and they do not know each other's first names. Over the next hour and twenty-five minutes we watch the couple make love two more times. The scenes are explicit, with ample nudity. However, between these brief explicit scenes we are riveted by their dialogue.

This is a story about a one night stand, a one night sexual emotional experience. Both partners know they will likely never see each other again. The talk begins with playful games of "do you remember my name?" It leads to multiple and sometime painful deceptions, then disclosures. As with psychotherapy, it ends with each person finding out more about themselves then their partner.

This Chilean movie with sub-titles is filmed solely in a hotel room. Even with subtitles, the screenplay of this film is brilliant. As with the lyrics of Tapestry, the words will remind you of your own brief love experiences. Those people with whom the chemistry was perfect, the intimacy immediate, and who were just as quickly gone. Maybe the chemistry was so perfect because it was only for one night?

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