a film by Félix Sabroso
and Dunia Ayaso
1998 | 92 mins | Spain
Jordi Mollà .... Toni
Pepón Nieto .... Carlos
Roberto Correcher .... Dani
Alonso Caparrós .... Lucas
Lucina Gil .... Clara
Gracia Olayo .... Estrella
Esperanza Roy .... Juliana
María Pujalte .... Mari Carmen
Ferran Rañé .... Miguel
Excuse Me Duckie But Lucas Loved Me
/ Perdona bonita
pero Lucas me quería a mí
a lively Spanish gay murder mystery
played for laughs
Screened in Great Britain as part of the
14th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
- 2000
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Under threat of eviction from their homophobic landlady, flatmates Carlos, Dani and Toni are
forced to look for another tenant to help pay the rent. Only their idea of the forth 'man
about the house' is one of sexual fantasy, casting aside potential contenders in the hope of
securing a tall, dark and handsome stranger. And boy are they in luck, for at the tail end
of a series of interviews with seemingly every social misfit going, in walks hunky Lucas
and surprise, surprise not only has he got the spare room, but also the keys to their hearts.
Trouble is, fast-forward three months and Lucas is past tense and put it this way, he didn't
pass away in his sleep, unless that is you go to bed with a set of kitchen knives in your
chest! All of which prompts a police investigation and one that is set to reveal that
there was more to the man of their dreams, than what at first appeared.
If all this sounds like a gay take on SHALLOW GRAVE, well it is - kind of. Only if you replace
suspense with high camp, then you have an idea of what to expect. For this is a lively Spanish
gay murder mystery with a stereotypical cast of characters, each of whom relate their
comical tale by way of a series of flashbacks, that in turn detail how sexually
intertwined the principal players were with the deceased.
And that is what makes this comic work - work. For this is a film whose spirited performances
give rise to a lot of fun. And here I'm not just referring to the three wise, or perhaps not
so wise men, but equally their cleaning lady Juliana, karaoke singer Estrella, police
inspector Clara, not to mention her crazed assistant Mari Carmen.
In short, you kind of know what to expect when the title of a film so aptly sums it up and in
this case it would appear that Lucas just could not keep his rampant libido in check. As for
who killed him, well that would be saying, or would it given any serious detection is cast
aside to play for laughs right up to the hilarious conclusion of the piece, one that
Hercule Poirot would certainly not offer. Then again, would he? Perhaps,
but only if he, like us, use our little gay cells!
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