Pepi, Luci, Bom, and dark habits: lesbian "families" in the films of Pedro Almodovar.
Film critics and scholars alike have accepted Pedro Almodovar's Pepi, Luci, Bom, and Dark Habits as highlighting the erotic fixations of a subculture that would have remained silent under Franco. Nonetheless, I see these films as important for their ability to shed light on the Spanish contemporary family. The power dynamics that evolve between female characters in these films illustrate how same-sex couples come together, expand, and re-create alternative family configurations in Spain. I make the case that although these alternative families may not prove to be any less functional than traditional patriarchal families, through them Almodovar compels viewers to reassess the purpose and crucial role that the family plays within Spanish society.
DiFrancesco
María
M
Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. m difrancesco2002@yahoo.com
D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000266:history; D006801:Humans; D009040:Motion Pictures / Q000266:history; D013030:Spain