Neon Flesh (Spanish: Carne de neón) is a 2010 neo-noir thriller with comedy elements film directed by Paco Cabezas which stars Mario Casas alongside Vicente Romero, Macarena Gómez, Blanca Suárez, and Ángela Molina. It is a Spanish-Argentine-Swedish-French co-production.
| Neon Flesh | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Carne de neón |
| Directed by | Paco Cabezas |
| Screenplay by | Paco Cabezas |
| Based on | Carne de neón (short film) by Paco Cabezas |
| Produced by | Juan Gordon |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Daniel Aranyó |
| Edited by | Antonio Frutos |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Vértice Cine (es) |
Release dates |
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| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
The plot follows the mishaps of Ricky, a young man who wants to build a brothel for her mother Pura, a prostitute set to be released from jail, so she can manage it. He teams up with a pimp, a bodyguard with the mental age of a child, and a transvestite, while a drug-addicted prostitute, a policeman and the latter's horny daughter stay aloof.
The film is based on a short film of the same name directed by Paco Cabezas.[5] Some cast members from the short film reprised their roles in the full-length film (notable exceptions were Óscar Jaenada and Victoria Abril, respectively replaced by Mario Casas and Ángela Molina).[6]
A co-production among companies from Spain, Argentina, Sweden and France, the film was produced by Juan Gordon [es]'s Morena Films alongside Jaleo Films, Oberon Cinematográfica, Mandarin Films, Hepp Films and Pensa&Rocca,[7] with the participation of Canal Sur, TVC, TVV, TVG, and ETB.[2] Shooting locations in Spain included Seville[6] whereas shooting locations in Argentina included Belgrano (Buenos Aires).[8] Crew during the Argentine part of the filming used masks due to the 2009 swine flu pandemic alert.[1]
The film was presented at the Sitges Film Festival on 9 October 2010.[5]
Distributed by Vértice Cine, it was theatrically released in Spain on 21 January 2011.[9] It opened in Argentine theatres on 21 February 2013.[10]
Jonathan Holland of Variety assessed that the "hugely entertaining" film "reps crude, violent, flashy and sentimental fare, but with a sharp, intelligent edge that gets it out of jail".[2]
Jesús Palacios of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars highlighting the honesty of the proposal whilst pointing out its "cinephagic naivety", assessing that "however irregular it sometimes appears, [it is] one of the most refreshing Spanish films of the year".[4]