The Tit and the Moon

La Teta i la Luna (The Breast and the Moon) describes the life of a 9-10 year old boy named Tete who is obsessed with breasts growing up in Catalunya. I love this movie because the characters are very honest and very human, like all the characters in Bigas Luna's movies (also director of Jamon, Jamon). Tete reminded me of how intriguing and exciting life can be at that age. Also being from Catalunya (North-east of Spain) it brought lots of memories to my mind. This movie shows how beautiful Catalunya is, nice people, nice life and specially lots of non-uptight people.

"In the beginning was the breast." -Marilyn Yalom. For the nine year old Teté (Biel Durán) breasts mean milk and milk means love. As his mother's maternal affections and breast milk turn to his newborn baby brother, Teté invokes the moon to bring him a breast of his own in this surreal coming of age comedy by one of Spain's greatest and most controversial auteurs, Bigas Luna.

'The Tit and the Moon' (La teta y la luna) first released in 1994, entered the competition at the 51st Venice International Film Festival. It follows Jamón Jamón and Golden Balls in Luna's 'Iberian passion trilogy' that won him international acclaim; yet remains the least talked about and most underrated film in the trilogy. It's also its warmest and most gentle entry.

In many ways Teté remains merely a spectator in his own story, a voyeur and narrator. His quest for finding his own set of breasts seems doomed from the beginning, Tete is too old to be breast fed and too young to be sexually active.

While this is most certainly the tale of his sexual awakening, Tete desires often to come over as asexual and naive. He seems to make no separation between his mother and other women and merely wants to reclaim his birth-right that has been unfairly robbed off with the arrival of his new brother. Tete loses himself more and more in his own fantasies and lives them out through the characters he spies on, such as flamenco singing teenage heartthrob Miguel (Miguel Poveda) and his friend the body builder Stallone (Genís Sánchez).

When the beautiful French dancer and cabaret artist Estrellita (played by Mathilda May - you might remember her best as the naked space vampire in Tobe Hooper's 'Lifeforce') arrives in town, Tete thinks his spell has worked and his prayers have been answered, but Estrellita seems well guarded by her partner (in life as well as on stage) theHarley Davidson riding elderly biker Maurice (Gérard Darmon) to whom she seems endlessly devoted.

Miguel as well soon begins to obsess over Estrellita and wants to seduce her through his Flamenco singing. While Miguel poses as yet another rival in Tete's life he also acts as a window for Tete to get closer to her.

The film touches on many of Luna's familiar themes such as virility and machismo; one scene shows strong man Stallone crack a walnut with his muscles after a workout session. The film is filled with phallic symbolism and quests of strength and conquering. This is already established in the opening scene when the villagers erect a phallic looking human tower known as castell. This Catalan tradition of building human towers dates back to the 18th century with its origins in a traditional folklore dance from the city of Valls. Tete tries to climb to the top but the tower collapses each time before he makes it to the highest point. Eventually Tete is replaced by another boy who reaches the top and is cheered by the exuberant crowd. I'm hesitant to say that the film touches on the occult or magic, but at the same time I can't help but feel that there is more to the images, themes and rituals on display, whether this is premeditated or comes from a more primal place. Male rivalry is also a central theme, while I already established Tete's envy over his younger brother's constant access to their mother's breasts; throughout the film men envy each other's women, motorcycles, singing abilities and muscles often with an underlined homoerotic desire.

Men, despite their shameless displays of machismo aren't violent gorillas, and most of them get a chance to show their sensitive side. With the exception of Stallone and Tete's father we see almost every male character cry on screen at least once.

Closeted homoerotic desires aside, the men only want one thing, breasts. On the other hand Estrellita (the only three dimensional female character in the film) has far more interesting and kinky desires, such as a fetish for smelly feet (we see her sucking on Maurice's foot before telling him it tastes like Roquefort and later she opens Miguel's boots to sniff his feet) as well as the taste of salty tears (she keeps Maurice's tears in a jar to lick them after sex). She also seems to find it romantic when her man farts for her. Farts and his motorbike don't just make him the object of desire in her eyes and envy of other men, but a star. Miguel and Estrellita's traveling act consists of her dancing ballet around him while he's sitting on his Harley before performing several circus tricks by farting loudly.

Though her grace and dance makes her the true artist on stage, she is merely perceived as a prop while the audience cheers for the man on the motorcycle setting his farts on fire. Her breast is exposed twice during their performance with her tit being treated merely as a punchline to his act.

The symbolism of the female breast has often been shaped by religious, political, and social ideas... whether they may be depicted as sacred object, symbol for life/ fertility or merely as a means of arousal or displayed for comic effect. Luna is certainly not the first to feature breasts or the act of breast-feeding in the movies, but all of these ideas and more are represented beautifully and often ironically in The Tit and the Moon. At the same time, the breast is almost a McGuffin in the film, a holy grail or a catalyst for desire, drama and milk, the magic elixir of life.

Other noteworthy and equally surreal examples of breast feeding in film would be Travis (Malcolm McDowell) being nursed back to health by a breastfeeding nun in Lindsay Anderson's 'O' Lucky Man', and Miss Monde's spiritual resurrection after being breastfed by a female member of the Vienna aktionists in Dusan Makavejev's 'Sweet Movie'.

Luna was no stranger to sex and taboo subjects, ever since he first started making films in the late 70's his work was filled with incest, sado-masochism, pathological obsession, nude bull fights, rape, machismo, meat and bestiality, often using sexual symbolism to mirror Spanish society. In Bambola several characters make liberating or destructive revelations about their own sexuality and desires after being raped. While his cold and equally poetic and horrifying masterpiece Caniche (aka Poodle) revolves around a woman's special relationship with her poodle (who goes down on her frequently) and her half-brother's frustrations of seeing the dog mount the woman he can't have, which he unleashes by mistreating and sodomizing wild dogs he keeps locked in cages before raping his sister in an explosive and bloody climax. The Ages of Lulu, an adaptation of the bestselling novel by Almudena Grandes, again featured incest as well as Bigas Luna would later note "my thing: transvestites and sadism." Much of Luna's work is often under attack for claims of sexism, homophobia and misogyny ('The Tit and the Moon' is no exception), though this would be missing the point entirely.

The Tit and the Moon deals with many similar all-consuming obsessions and sexual frustrations as his earlier films, but we never see characters downward spiral this deep into self-destruction. Compared to early shockers like Caniche and Bilbao - this is Luna light. Nor is it as sexually charged as Jamón Jamón and the Ages of Lulu or as multi-layered and ambitious as his innovative horror film Anguish (perhaps my personal favourite of his). In short, The Tit and the Moon is as "mainstream" as Luna could possibly get without losing his voice. This does not make the film's symbolic images any less powerful (and there is still plenty here for the easily offended to get all riled up about). As always Luna's trademark mix of lurid melodrama and surrealism ensures an unforgettable cinematic experience further heightened by Nicola Piovani's hypnotic score (Who also scored both of the previous entries in Luna's Iberian passion trilogy and would go on to win the Academy Award for Life is Beautiful just three years later) and stunning cinematography by Spanish master Jose Luis Alcaine (the first cinematographer to use fluorescent tubes as "key" lightning and frequent collaborator of Pedro Almodovar).

In the film's most famous and stand-out scene, Estrellita shoots milk out of her breast like an angel water fountain directly into Tete's mouth. This scene, like many others is only in Tete's fantasy world, while he never truly achieves to suckle on any real life woman's breasts. In grand bookends fashion the film ends with the building of a human tower one year later, and just like in the beginning Tete climbs the tower, only this time to make it all the way to the top.

No other movie has made me feel like this before... and I don't feel bad. Like, I don't want my money back or the time that I waited to watch this movie (9 months) nor do I feel bad about using two hours of a sunny summer day in order to view this ______. The reason I say "_____" is because no matter how hard I wrack my brain I just can't seem to come up with a word in ANY of the seven languages that movie was in to sum it up. I have no idea what was going on the entire time and half way through the movie I needed a breather. No movie has ever done this to me before. Never in my life have I wanted cauliflower, milk, and baguettes this much. Thank you. - Ed

Uh. *clears throat* No words. No thoughts. I don't know. I truly don't know. - Cait

Nine-year-old Tete (Biel Duran) has a problem any older brother can relate to . The child cannot stand the idea of having a new brother and dreams about drinking milk from the breasts of his mother again . As the family's new arrival has replaced him at his mummy's (Laura Maña) breast . The boy asks and invokes the moon to bring him a tit only for him . Then , an imposing woman called Estrellita (Mathilda May) , a Gallic performer , comes in and he falls in love for her . However , his adolescent brother (Miguel Poveda) already his eyes on her . While the gorgeous lady herself seems sweet on her stage colleague Maurice (Gerard Darmon). The whole issue being unified by the scene of the tit suckling one and all .

Typical and stirring Bigas Luna picture filled with strange happenings , twisted events , erotic scenes and surrealist images . This attractive as well as erotic story is a passionate retelling and an ironical story about a dreamer kid in which his short age doesn't avoid to follow his impossible dream . Full of visual images , fetishism and wonderful scenes , but including bad taste and strong sex scenes with loads of female nudism . Third part of Bigas Luna's "Iberian Trilogy" also adding Jamón, Jamón and Golden eggs . The first installment ¨Jamon , Jamon¨¨ concerns on satiric machismo in which a ¨macho man¨ falls in love for a lower-class girl ; ¨Huevos De Oro¨ dealt with a mean young attempts to build the great phallic symbol of power , at whatever cost ; while ¨The tit and the moon¨ director Bigas Luna adopts a more reflective approach . It's more sympathetic , gentler piece than its immediate predecessors . Filmmaker Luna sets up symbolic opposition between sexual experience of the various males and their excessive youth . In the flick we find brief description about several Catalan habits such as : human castles , Bread with tomato , Barretinas , Sardana music , among others . This Spanish picture is an enjoyable tale with a thought-provoking characterizing about a few characters , compelling drama and colorful outdoors . It is an overblown as well as strange drama , including surrealist elements , being screen-written by the same filmmaker along with his usual screen-writer Cuca Canals . Director Bigas Luna also writes the script filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the brooding issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . However , the film's essential problem is its failure to generate the sort of pace drive that would forge its metaphoric patterns into interesting drama . The storyline relies heavily on the continued dreams of the starring , including a lot of sexual scenes , almost softcore , but it doesn't make boring , however the film is entertaining . In spite of , the movie results to be acceptable and compellingly realized . Bigas carries out a perfect imaginary , a willingness almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence, every space . Good acting by quartet protagonist , all of them give fine performances , such as Biel Duran as likable child who must invoke the moon for a new tit to call his own ; Miguel Poveda as a sex-crazed teenager usually singing Andalucian songs and Gerard Darmon as anguished romantic performer , his interpretation is genuinely moving . And special mention to Mathilda May, she is marvelous and charming with her sweet and enjoyable countenance and appealing body . Sensitive as well as evocative musical score by Nicola Piovani who won Academy Award for ¨Life is beautiful¨. Furthermore , a colorful and evocative cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine who was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning and deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameraman . Alcaine frequently works with Pedro Almodóvar , Bigas Luna and Vicente Aranda , as he has photographed ¨The skin I live in¨ , The bad education¨ , ¨Volver¨ , ¨Women in the verge of a nervous breakdown¨, among others . Here he shows splendidly the impressive landscapes from Cataluña.

The motion picture was stunningly directed by Bigas Luna , but somehow it's the disturbing as well as shocking of dream-sequence lactation on the end that still succours the strongest and rarest impression. Luna follows his particular style , plenty of sex , food references and surrealist homages including some abstract dream sequences . Bigas Luna was born on March 19, 1946 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain as Josep Joan Bigas Luna . He was a Bon Vivant who along with his wife, produced wine, ham, and organic products ; they are well shown in his films . He was a writer and director, known for ¨Jamón, Jamón¨ (1992), ¨Huevos de Oro¨ or ¨Golden eggs¨ (1993) "The Chambermaid on the Titanic" , ¨Angustia¨ or ¨Anguish¨ (1987) , this ¨The tit and the moon¨ , ¨Volaverunt¨ , ¨Yo soy La Juani¨, ¨Di , Di Hollywwod¨ among others . He's also an expert on murky atmosphere such as proved in ¨Caniche¨ , ¨Tatuaje¨, ¨Bilbao¨ , ¨Anguish¨ and ¨Reborn¨. Luna discovered actors Ariadna Gil, Leonor Watling , Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz . He sadly died recently on April 6, 2013 in Tarragona, Catalonia . This film ¨La Teta Y La Luna¨ is stylishly photographed and smartly designed and here Bigas Luna delivers his ordinary and erotic goods with nice sense of style . The picture will appeal to Mathilda May fans and Bigas Luna buffs.

I recently saw Iñárritu's most recent experiment with cinematic narrative, so I pulled this out. I've been saving it for such an occasion, where I need something from a Spanish mind that is as direct as anything in Hollywood.

But it involves two things that Hollywod just cannot seem to do: pre-adolescent wonder about sex, and genuine magical realism. I don't like the term because it is at once too broad (like "surrealism" and "irony") and at the same time usually expressed too simply. Here, the magical worlds we shift in and out of are worlds driven by lactation: one of a boy's fantasy yearning a the second of the physics of what he encounters explained through that world. And there's a third which is shared only between us as adults and the filmmaker.

That adult magical world is populated by a French couple: a young dancer played by the desirable Mathilda May and her husband who performs with her. His stage skill is farting, and he bills himself as the man of fire, appearing in fire-painted leathers and with a motorcycle as prop, both for the stage show and the film proper.

There's a magical folding of course between the show they put on, the one confabulated by the boy, the one we see in the film, and one managed by the boys' dad. In this latter case, the boy strives to be the top of a penis constructed of men. It begins the film where the boy fails and ends with him fully erect, imagining May's breasts, suckling both her's and his mother's.

The French performing farter is loosely based on a real French performer: Joseph Pujol, billed as Le Pétomane. He was the most successful entertainer in late nineteenth century France.

This film isn't Spanish at all, instead from a land called Catalonia, a quite unique land that some would say is temporarily occupied by Spain. Its a rather wonderful place which includes Barcelona. The language is more impulsive than French, more languidly sensual than Italian and far more pleasing to the ear than Spanish. It borders on France and has been influenced linguistically at least by that proximity. But just as the Brazilains make fun of the Portuguese, so the Catalons make fun of the French. You have to know that to appreciated the lack of wholeness the French couple has, plus jokes like the French loaf for a penis.

Performing: the couple performs on stage; the little boy on top of the human phallus; the older teen on the woman (and singing to her); and certain nipples produce on call.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.