En La Cama

Relationships - if you’ve ever been in one, you’ll know the drill. There’s a swapping of names, the swapping of shared experiences, swapping of bodily fluids (if you’re lucky) and swapping of angst, possibly with rows along the way and not necessarily in that order. If you imagine that scenario boiled down into an hour and a half and stick the couple in question in a motel room with a handheld camera, you could probably pen the screenplay for writer Julio Rojas and director Matías Bize’s film yourself. Not, then, a good start.

The couple in question are Daniela (Blanca Lewin) and Bruno (Gonzalo Valenzuela). They’ve clearly skipped to the bodily fluid section of their relationship as the film opens in a flurry of orgasmic (sub Je T'Aime, Moi Non Plus) breathiness and a tussle of bedclothes. Sex over, it soon becomes apparent this is a one-night stand, as they confess that neither even knows the other’s name.

There then follows a lot of chat – accompanied by several episodes of sex - as, gradually, they seem destined to bare their souls as well as their bodies to one another.

The acting is fine enough and there are some interestingly framed shots, considering the limitations of a one-room drama but the problem is that the film fails to completely satisfy on any count.

The sex, while sporadically erotic, never really convinces. Lewin and Valenzuela, while undoubtedly very attractive, are ridiculously untouched by their continual romping. Lewin seems to be wearing the world’s first shag-proof lip gloss, while Valenzuela sweats in a manner which makes him seem as though he’s fresh from that aftershave advert where the bloke runs naked through a room.

Equally, the moments of drama, fail to ignite. There’s a feeling of ticking all the boxes. Split condom? Check. Other partners? Check. Deep dark secret? Well, you get the picture. In bed, ultimately, looks too neat to be real. Also, it is worryingly open-ended… beware of In Bed 2: What The Chambermaid Saw.