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poster of Golden Balls
Rating: 5.5/10 by 84 users

Golden Balls (1993)

A libidinous construction worker uses his charm and bravado in an attempt to attain enough finances to build his dream project.

Directing:
  • Bigas Luna
Writing:
  • Bigas Luna
  • Cuca Canals
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Sep 24, 1993

Rating: 5.5/10 by 84 users

Alternative Title:

Country:
Spain
Italy
France
Language:
Español
Runtime: 01 hour 35 minutes
Budget: $3,450,000
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: infidelity, banker, prostitute, dream, corruption, orgy, architect, money, tragedy, model, construction, disco, voyeurism

Javier Bardem
Benito González
Maria de Medeiros
Marta (La mujer, 45 kilos)
Maribel Verdú
Claudia (La amante, 52 kilos)
Elisa Tovati
Rita (El primer amor, 47 kilos)
Benicio del Toro
Bob, el amigo de Miami
Alessandro Gassmann
Miguel, el amigo de Melilla
Ángel de Andrés López
Gil, el de los garbanzos
Alicia Moro
La chica de Gil
Raquel Bianca
Ana (La comehombres, ? kilos)
Enric Cusí
El hombre de confianza
María Martín
La mujer del productor
Thomas Lusht
El cachas americano
Alberto Merelles
El arquitecto
Stella Condorelli
La amiga de Rita
Ingrid Morrall
La amiga de Ana
Ecos de Andalucía
Cuadro flamenco
Johnny Messana
Restaurant patron (uncredited)

CRCulver

Bigas Luna's 1993 film Huevos de oro ("Golden Balls/Eggs", a title punning on both the goose that laid the golden eggs and a tough guy's balls of steel) depicts the rise and fall of Benito Gonzalez (Javier Bardem), a young Spanish construction worker who becomes an affluent real estate developer on the Mediterranean coast. After being jilted by his first girlfriend (Elisa Tovati), who leaves him for his best friend, Benito develops a mania for building the tallest building in Benidorm, which may be seen as little more than an enormous phallic symbol flaunting his manhood. Obsessed with this big construction project, his lust for his next woman, Claudia (Maribel Verdú) takes second place to having her sleep with potential investors to win them over. Benito then marries a banker's daughter, Marta (Maria de Medeiros) to have access to her father's funds. Benito lives a life of sexual excess and enormous consumption of food, especially the Alicante sweet known as torrón. Like some of the work of Almodovar, Bigas Luna clearly likes riffing on Spanish stereotypes and regional differences. Ultimately, however, Benito's hubris leads to his downfall. This protagonist is certainly an odious guy, but -- though I won't spoil the ending -- the depths to which he is ultimately sunk inspire a perverse sympathy in the viewer. Years went by between my first viewing of this film and the second, but in the interim I would often look back on this film's plot and ending scenes, thinking of how sad it was to lose everything and end up that way. Huevos de oro isn't an especially deep film, but that dramatic arc, hewing very close to classical notions of tragedy, is impressive and I'd say this film is worth a watch.


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