Desire

🧠 Plot Summary: A Wedding of Temptation

Lucía is preparing to marry in an estate set for lavish celebrations, but the arrival of her estranged sister Ofelia, who hasn’t been in contact for seven years, brings back old conflicts and unearthed secrets.

What starts as a sisterly cordial embrace soon spirils out of control as Juan, Lucía’s husband to be, and Ofelia get swept away by insatiable desire. Their bond, initially forbidden and inconspicuous, burgeons into a perilous obsession.

Family systems collapse as trust is shattered, resentment brews, and jealousy simmers. What was once a festive wedding morphs into the stage for relationships to be rudely stripped of the veneer of wealth and family honor, revealing the raw skin beneath.

🎭 Character Breakdown

Lucía (Mónica Antonópulos)

Initially, Lucía is the charming bride—captivating in her traditional gown. With the shift of events, her world crumbles and she metamorphoses into a figure of loss and unbridled rage. Antonópulos’ performance is emotionally charged yet imbued with grace.

Ofelia (Carolina Ardohain)

Ofelia remains the enigma of the film—hauntingly beautiful, emotionally damaged, and deeply intriguing. Her presence electrifies the wedding while also casting long shadows over it. Ardohain’s performance injects a layer of unresolved silent trauma, rendering her both manipulative and sympathetic.

Juan (Juan Sorini)

Juan is pulled in opposite directions by his desires and responsibilities. The chemistry between him and Ofelia is obvious, yet for Juan, his guilt acts as an unraveling thread. He represents the protagonist’s central conflict of moral decay due to indulgence in taboo love.

Supporting Roles

Another person impacted by the shifting tides is Andrés (Guilherme Winter), who complicates the role as a husband.

Cármen (Andrea Frigerio) fills in the role of the matriarch and brings in social expectations and tradition to the already volatile mixture.

🎨 Style, Themes, and Symbolism

Eroticism as Expression

Sensuality is boldly explored as means of self-expression, rebellion, and even revenge in this film. While erotic in nature, the sequences are stylized and captured through a painterly lens, showcasing the character’s emotional violence rather than mere voyeurism.

Sisterhood and Rivalry

Lucia and Ofelia’s bond is foundational to the narrative. Their rivalry extends beyond Juan, rooted in childhood scars, favoritism, and emotional neglect. The wedding crystallizes their collision of paths.

Desire vs. Duty

The characters navigate expectation, decorum, and suppressed desire in a top-tier Argentine society. The conflict between façade and reality centers the film’s emotional tension.

Visual Language
Cinematography transitions from the warm, sunlit tones during the ceremony to shadowy, claustrophobic colors as secrets come to light. Costuming highlights Lucía’s polished bridal outfit as she contrasts with Ofelia’s unrefined, earthy attire, which reinforces their antithetical personas.

🎥 Controversy and Reception
A segment of the film igniting considerable controversy features a young girl during a moment of discovery—one which, though meant to portray early self-awareness, drew scrutiny for being overly graphic. Diego Kaplan, the director, defended the shot, claiming it was filmed under full parental and legal supervision.

Desire ignited discourse regarding the boundaries of eroticism in cinema in Argentina and Latin America. While some critics applauded what they saw as fearless direction and sensuality, others dismissed the film as shallow, overly dramatized, and provocative for mere sensationalism rather than profound artistry.

Nonetheless, it earned considerable attention after being incorporated into Netflix’s international catalog, where a new audience fascinated by its premise and visuals accessed it.

✅ Final Verdict

Desire represents sultry drama, powerfully depicting how the past and unfulfilled yearning can unravel even the most carefully crafted façades. With bold performances, lush visuals, and an intense emotional undercurrent, it defies classification, teetering between passion and pain, intimacy and destruction.

Although it may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who may take issue with its more provocative aspects, it nonetheless stands out as an intriguing contribution to contemporary Latin American cinema. It boldly showcases unfiltered feminine longing, scars of sisterhood, and