Law of Desire

At the opening night party for Pablo's latest work, The Paradigms of the Mussel, Pablo and his younger lover Juan discuss their summer plans. Pablo would stay in Madrid to work on a new project, while Juan would return to his southern hometown to work in a bar and live with his family. Pablo loves Juan, but he senses that his lover's intensity is not returned with equal passion.

Following the party, Tina, Ada, and Pablo form an unconventional family. Tina has been abandoned by her lesbian lover, and Ada, precocious, has a crush on Pablo. Pablo looks after them, while Tina devotes herself to Ada and to caring for the family, grateful that Pablo does not judge her sex change.

Pablo begins writing an adaptation of Cocteau's The Human Voice for Tina to perform. The project deepens his bond with Tina and anchors Ada's future involvement in his plans. The script work foreshadows intimate dynamics that will unfold later.

At the play's opening night, Pablo meets Antonio, a young man who has become obsessed with him after watching The Paradigms of the Mussel. They leave the theatre together and have sex; for Antonio it's his first homosexual experience, while Pablo treats it as a fleeting impulse rather than a lasting relationship.

Following their night together, Antonio's possessive tendencies begin to surface as he misreads Pablo's affection. Pablo remains involved with his life but senses danger in Antonio's fixation and ambiguity about their bond.

Antonio comes across a love letter addressed to Pablo, signed by Juan but actually written by Pablo himself. The discovery deepens Antonio's jealousy and convinces him that Pablo's heart lies elsewhere. Tension rises as misperceptions threaten to erupt into violence.

Pablo writes a letter signed Laura P, the name of a character from his script, telling Antonio that he loves Juan and intends to join him. The gesture is a calculated move to push Antonio away and to confuse the truth of his own feelings.

Jealous and determined to possess everything that belongs to Pablo, Antonio travels to confront the situation and attempts to have sex with Juan. When Juan rebukes him, Antonio throws him off a cliff, killing him and severing Pablo from his most cherished connection.

Juan's murder leaves Pablo under suspicion, as police find in Juan's fist a piece of clothing matching Pablo's distinctive shirt. The evidence points toward Pablo, thrusting him into a police investigation before he can prove his innocence.

Pablo drives to see Juan's dead body to confront the truth and ends up in a tense confrontation with Antonio. He is pursued by the police, loses control of the car, and suffers a head injury that leaves him with amnesia upon waking.

Pablo wakes in a hospital unable to remember who he is or what happened, while authorities continue to circle the case. His condition creates a new layer of uncertainty as the true killer remains at large.

Antonio's mother presents letters signed Laura P to the police, marking Laura P as the mysterious signer and a key suspect who cannot yet be located. Meanwhile, Antonio returns to Madrid and seduces Tina in an effort to get closer to Pablo.

To help her brother recover his memory, Tina recounts their shared past, including Tina's early life and sex-change journey and the complicated bond with their father. The revelation begins to unlock Pablo's memory, and he starts to realize that Tina's new lover is Antonio, heightening the danger around them.

Pablo, now regaining memory, learns that Antonio's lover is Tina's new partner and heads with the police to Tina's apartment to intervene. The confrontation escalates as Antonio tightens his grip on Tina and Pablo, with time running out.

Antonio threatens a bloodbath unless he can have an hour alone with Pablo. They spend that hour together, with a final act of intimacy, before Antonio commits suicide, ending the cascade of jealousy and tragedy.