Pepi, Luci, Bom

When watching the film “Pepi, Luci, Bom” during class, I was led to believe the film maker was trying to make a statement on homosexuality in society. The director used the strategy of going over the top and being camp to get their point across. Everything from the rape scene, to the party, to the first time Luci met Bom was very dramatic and graphic and done in a way not seen in mainstream media. I believe the film maker was trying to make homosexuality seem acceptable and normal in culture. The films over the top nature and casualness try to make even ludicrous occurrences such as those in the film seem normal and acceptable. As well the film was intended to be a comedy and make people laugh at the subject and become familiar with this kind of material.

            However, when watching the film my reaction was not to accept the subject material but to reject it. The scenes were often hard to watch and made me uncomfortable. I never found myself connecting with the characters or laughing at their actions. If anything, the camp style of the film made it difficult to watch the subject being presented. This was my reaction as an American male in the twenty first century however. My reaction may be completely different than those made by 1980’s Spaniards. In fact, the film being released after the end of a dictatorship in Spain may have caused Spaniards to enjoy the anarchical nature of the film. For modern audiences however, “Pepi, Luci, Bom” did not provide a depiction of homosexuality that is easily acceptable.