El Amante Bilingüe
Director: Vicente Aranda
Genre: Drama
Year: 1993
Country: Spain, Italy
Language: Catalan language, Spanish Language
Starring: Loles León, Imanol Arias, Javier Bardem, Ornella Muti
The Bilingual Lover (Spanish: El Amante Bilingüe) is a 1993 Spanish film, written and directed by Vicente Aranda adapted from a novel by Juan Marsé. It stars Imanol Arias, Ornella Muti and Loles León. The film is a grotesque drama with some elements of comedy. Set in Barcelona, El Amante Bilingüe takes an ironic approach to Catalonian linguistic policies, nationalism and eroticism with a pattern of double identity.
Juan Marés is a man from a humble background, the son of a frustrated zarzuela singer and an illusionist known as Fu-Ching, the magician. He grew up in Barcelona during the 50s, dreaming of leaving his poverty behind. During his youth in the 70s, he meets his future wife. He was in a photograph exhibit, when just coincidence involved him with a group who was organizing a hunger strike for four days. There, he meets Norma Valenti, the only daughter of a wealthy family of traditional Catalan background. In spite of big economical, social and cultural differences between them, Juan and Norma get married.
Norma works for the department of linguistics of Catalonia while Juan or Joan, his Catalan name, is overwhelmed by the social position acquired through the marriage. There
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