Size plays a major role in “20 Centimeters,” a brash, vivacious concoction of dark comedy, light drama and musical performance written and directed by Ramón Salazar.
For starters, the title refers to the length of its main character’s penis, nearly 8 inches. Marieta, né Adolfo, a pre-op transsexual narcoleptic (convincingly played by Mónica Cervera), wants those inches to vanish, and nothing can come between her and the surgery that will make it happen, not even a hunky fruit-stocker who likes her as is.
During spells of sudden sleep, which seem to come at the most ill-timed moments, Marieta dreams that she is the star of huge, spicy (and frustratingly hit-or-miss) song-and-dance numbers in a wide variety of musical styles, most prominently Spanish and American pop songs. (The bit inspired by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video is particularly amusing.)
But because so much screen time is spent in fantasyland, the film’s reality-based story lines, which focus on the sometimes bleak, even tragic, elements of Marieta’s everyday life – her conflicted sexuality, prostitution work and complex relationships with her roommate (a dwarf) and a neighbor’s young son – end up serving mainly as springboards for the high-energy set pieces.
“20 Centimeters” | ** 1/2 RATING
NOT RATED|1 hour, 53 minutes|FANTASY DRAMA|Written and directed by Ramon Salazar; in Spanish with subtitles; photography by Ricardo de Gracia; starring Monica Cervera, Pablo Puyol, Miguel O’Dogherty, Concha Galan, Lola Dueñas|Opens today at the Starz FilmCenter.