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Krampack (Spanish) [Nico And Dani]

This film is a very sweet story about two teenage boys who frequently engage in "Krampack" which is apparently Spanish slang for masturbation. It is about sexual awakening in the teenage years focussing on best friends Nico and Dani. A key is that the title characters are not sleazy party animals, taking advantage of women and not thinking twice about it, but sensitive and confused. Without guidance, reasoning is tough for them...especially because they are searching for who they really are, which means also coming to terms with their sexuality.

Dani is spending his summer at his parents beach house. When his parents have to leave for work, his friend from grade school Nico comes to visit him like every summer. At the house, he is tutored by Sonia, a young woman and Marianne who comes to cook the food. Nico and Dani who have been the best of friends have resorted to the "krampack" to relieve their sexual frustrations in the absence of girls to sleep with. Dani is perfectly happy with this arrangement, and indeed is looking forward to continuing it with Nico. Nico, on the other hand, is looking forward to moving on to experiences with girls. They meet Berta and Elena, 2 girls who come there every summer. Nico is clearly more interest din the girls and wants to score with them but Dani on the other side is not so interested. Dani wants to push the limit a little further with Nico but jealousy soon takes over when he sees that Nico is clearly more interested in Elena than Dani. To further complicate things, Dani strikes up a friendship with Julian, a handsome young writer in town for the summer to whom he is mutually attracted, although both are a little uncomfortable about Dani's youth. Finally Nico does manage to score with Elena who tells him very candidly that this sonly a one time thing since she already has a boyfriend. Dani's experiences with Julian finally teaches him that he has much more to learn and accept about himself and the fact that just because he like Nico, it cannot force Nico to like him in the same way.
Through affairs, misunderstandings, and a disastrous dinner party, the story moves along to an inevitable, yet satisfying conclusion.

This film is warm and entertaining and a sensitive and respectful meditation on human sexuality and human development. The acting, setting of the film, chemistry between the two friends is very real and natural. It is so refreshing to see this film, specially after you have seen similar them attempts by a American films which fall flat compared to this one. In Nico and Dani no judgments are ever made, no sensitivities hidden or prejudices espoused, just the sincere and objective exploration of the human condition shown as natural as it occurs in life. There is no real sadness or depression, just a normal struggle to find one's own self. Both the characters are well defined. I so loved the fact the friendship remained in tact. The scenes between the 2 boys can so mutiliate a friendship but with some maturity level that the boys possessed, they end up remaining the close friends they were and at the same time realizing and accepting things about themselves that they dared not before.

It's a fresh, happy little film, well photographed and the subject matter intelligently handled. (7.5/10)

Comments

Unknown said…
The reason why American films fall flat when dealing with subjects such as these is because we are a very large country in the USA with very different belief systems in place. I know this film is set on the very expensive seacoast near Barcelona so Dani must come from a lot of money and through his Mom, the reason why she even knows that hot guy Julian is because she's a rather eccsentric and "artsy-fartsy" person. One thing you didn't mention is that Nico does do something rather evil when he spikes wine he, Dani and the girls drink with sleeping pills so that he and Danny can easily fuck the girls when they get totally wasted and fall asleep. Remember when the girl who's interested in Dani gets sick because of the wine she drank? I find it interesting that when Dani later gets drunk on wine because he wants an illicit affair with Julian, Dani himself gets sick from drinking too much wine and I love how Julian actually becomes a mentor with Dani on the subject of how to approach this gay sex thing there. Dani is far more intelligent, than Nico is anyways and I believe that since they were maturing anyways, the relationship wouldn't endure forever. Nico is destined to become a motorcycle mechanic who is always conning women and rarely scoring while Dani will go to university, end up with probably several great lovers and maybe write like Julian? That writing thing. It wouldn't be unheard of if an older, more experienced Dani set his sites on Julian. This is a great film and once again, I am so happy that I am half Spanish since Spain appears in many ways to be far more progressive that the USA where I live. Also, it is the tendency in the USA to cast much older actors in roles having to do with sex so that no one in the production team gets suspected of dealing with underage sex or promoting it. That's just the thinking of self-righteous And, in many cases, out-right stupid and bigoted Christian fanatics in this country.
Golu said…
loved your last statement. can't stop laughing but very accurately said. :)
lina said…
I so much agree with you on this one, there is no hate no dramatic separation, no big liar game. Just some awkward time like in every teenage time. It's also frustrating for us we understand Dani struggle (who go way too far by the way). And I like the fact that Dani is not attracted by every gay in town. Sweet coming of age movie, America is such a drama queen and predictable .

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