a film by Félix Sabroso and Dunia Ayaso 1998 | 92 mins | Spain ›› Excuse Me Duckie, But Lucas Loved Me - Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí a comic driven gay murder mystery Under threat of eviction from their homophobic landlady, flatmates Toni / Jordi Mollà, Carlos / Pepón Nieto and Dani / Roberto Correcher are forced to look for another tenant to help pay the rent. Only their idea of the fourth man about the house is one of sexual fantasy, casting aside potential tenants in the hope of securing a tall, dark, handsome stranger. And boy do they strike gold. For at the end of a series of interviews with seemingly every Spanish social misfit going, in walks hunky Lucas / Alonso Caparrós and surprise, surprise not only has he got the spare room, but also the keys to their hearts. Trouble is, fast-forward three months and Lucas is past tense and put it this way, he didn't pass away in his sleep, unless you go to bed with a set of kitchen knives in your chest. All of which prompts a police investigation and one that is set to reveal that there was more to the man of their dreams, than what at first appeared. If all this sounds like a gay take on Shallow Grave, well it is - kind of. Only if you replace suspense with camp, then you have an idea of what to expect. For this is a comic driven gay murder mystery with a stereotypical cast of characters, each of whom relate their tale by way of a series of flashbacks, that in turn detail how sexually intertwined the principal players were with the deceased. And yet, what makes this comical work - work, are the cast who play the whole scenario to a tee, raising it well above its cliché laden level. And here I'm not just referring to the three wise, or perhaps not so wise men, but equally their cleaning lady Juliana / Esperanza Roy, karaoke singer Estrella / Gracia Olayo, police inspector Clara / Lucina Gil, not to mention her crazed assistant Mari Carmen / María Pujalte. For here it’s a case that Lucas just could not keep his rampant libido in check. Although as for who killed him, well that would be saying. Or would it, given any serious detection work is cast to the sidelines, as the narrative is played for laughs right up to its hilarious conclusion. A gay murder mystery undoubtedly, but one that can be solved, should you care to use your little gay cells. Opps, sorry about that one folks. screened as part of the 14th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2000 starring: Jordi Mollà, Pepón Nieto, Roberto Correcher, Alonso Caparrós, Lucina Gil, Gracia Olayo, Esperanza Roy, María Pujalte, Ferran Rañé Copyright 2008 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #156 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹