In "A Woman without Love," Rosario(Rosario Granados) is trapped in a loveless marriage to Carlos(Julio Villarreal), a much older man. When their son Carlitos(Jaime Calpe) is accused of theft by his school, he is locked in a room without his dinner by his father. Stung by his father's anger, he runs away and Carlos
presumes he could not have gone far. However, Carlitos is more resourceful than initially thought and he makes it to a forest where he is found by Julio(Tito Junco) who returns him with the eternal gratitude of his parents. In time, Julio and Rosario begin an affair but she cannot follow him to Brazil, in order to take of her ailing husband.On the surface, "A Woman without Love" may seem like just another vapid soap opera and an unsatisfying ending does nothing to dispel this. But I think director Luis Bunuel has more on his mind than that and tells a story where the traditional past gives way to a modern future. At the beginning of the film, Rosario is married to a man she does not love and who sells antiques. As time goes on, there is a marriage for love and, of special interest, one of the women is a doctor.
January 6, 2009
Top Critic
