''Año Bisiesto'' (''Leap Year'') is a 2010 Mexican film from the Australian-Mexican screenwriter and film director
Michael Rowe.
Synopsis
Shot almost entirely in a seedy one-room apartment, this psychodrama details the grinding routine of Laura (
Mónica del Carmen), a 25-year-old freelance journalist, who lives a very isolated life in her small apartment, rarely venturing out besides bringing men home from nightclubs. She never spends more than one night in bed with any of them, until she meets the quiet, inscrutable Arturo (
Gustavo Sánchez Parra), and the pair enter into an intense, violent sexual relationship. The story focuses on the fascinating evolution of their relationship. As days go by, Laura crosses out the days on a calendar, revealing her secret past to her lover. It takes place in February on a leap year.
Production
At first,
Michael Rowe wanted the violence and sexual relations on screen to be real, but during filming
Gustavo Sánchez Parra proposed simulating some of these acts because "that's what filmmaking is all about, making people believe that we do things for real." Rowe changed his stance, and later confirmed that in the end only two scenes were unsimulated.
Main releases
The film premiered in France, at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
Directors' Fortnight 17 May 2010, and a month later on a public release. Next place to see the film was Rowe's home country, Australia, at the Melbourne International Film Festival and many other Film Festivals followed (''Toronto'', ''Athens'', ''Rio de Janeiro'', ''Sao Paulo'', ''Mar del Plata'' in Argentine, ''Hong Kong'' and the ''Latin Beat Film Festival'' in Japan, among others).
According to the producers, the film was sold in over 30 countries and in Mexico it played in commercial theaters with only 12 copies and was seen by close to 50,000 spectators –unlike large productions that screen up to 200 copies.
Film festivals and awards
References
External links
*
Film web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ano Bisiesto
2010 films
2010s erotic drama films
BDSM in films
2010s Spanish-language films
Films shot in Mexico
Mexican erotic drama films
Caméra d'Or winners
2010 drama films
2010s Mexican films