12. Law of Desire (1987)

What? — The first of Pedro Almodóvar's films to be released in the United States, Law of Desire withstands the test of time and remains one of his most deeply affecting films. As is customary with Almodóvar, little can be said without revealing a few of the delectable plot twists the masterful filmmaker weaves into his narratives.

Pablo Quintero (Eusebio Poncela) is an accomplished film director whose love for the younger Juan isn't reciprocated, due to the latter's own issues with his sexuality. Once Juan decides to take a leave of absence from the relationship to ponder his future in a remote lighthouse, the naturally promiscuous Pablo finds temporary sexual solace in the mysterious Antonio (played with surprising intensity by a young and intrepid Antonio Banderas). After Pablo deflowers the doe-eyed and inexperienced boy, Pablo finds himself in a bind, having to deal with Antonio's possessive behaviour while hoping that Juan will come around and love him equally.

In true Almodóvar fashion, a parallel story involving a transsexual coke-snorting lesbian develops. She's Pablo's sister Tina (Carmen Maura), who grew up as a boy but had a sex change in order to date Daddy, who in turn still left her for another woman. Tina is a struggling actress who also raises a child abandoned by an ex-girlfriend, with the unconditional love and support of her brother. Still with me? That's only the setup.

Why? — Almodóvar's pictures are known for their irreverent humor, melodramatic flourishes reminiscent of Douglas Sirk and unabashed explorations of marginal sexualities. Law of Desire is no exception. Upon its release, the North American press described the film as a "gay Fatal Attraction," but such a simplistic reading of the film doesn't do justice to its profound meditation on the nature of desire — erotic, emotional or some combination of the two. If there ever was a film that perfectly captured the complexities of an unrequited love triangle in all its tortuous pain and pleasure, this is it.

From the film's torrid opening sequence (Pablo directs a young man to pleasure himself for the camera), there's no mistaking Almodóvar for a prude. The kiss Banderas shares with Pablo made headlines in Brazil when the film came out. Nothing, however, is more astounding than the conclusion that can now be drawn in retrospect about Antonio Banderas' career: Playing gay — in an explicit and erotic way — certainly did not hamper the development of his subsequent Hollywood career, which has largely been bolstered by his pinup status with the ladies.

Almost Made the Cut: Strawberry and Chocolate (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1994)

For David, a university student in Havana, Cuba, during the politically charged '70s, a man who chooses strawberry over vanilla at his corner store ice cream joint is communicating a lot more than simple flavor preference. Strawberry outlines the unpredictable friendship that develops between a young, homophobic Communist and his older, well-educated, effeminate gay buddy. The film was apparently a significant and effective catalyst in improving the perception of homosexuality in Cuba. This Spanish-language film won multiple prizes (FIPRESCI, Berlin, Sundance, Goya), and was also the first Cuban film to be nominated at the Oscars.

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