Labyrinth of Passion

Labyrinth of Passion (Spanish: Laberinto de pasiones) is a 1982 Spanish screwball comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Cecilia Roth and Imanol Arias. Antonio Banderas has a small role, marking his film debut. Labyrinth of Passion, Almodóvar's second film, was independently produced with a shoestring budget which allowed for better production values than his previous film Pepi, Luci, Bom, and to employ a more complex narrative. The plot follows a nymphomaniac pop star who falls in love with a gay Middle Eastern prince. Their unlikely destiny is to find one another, overcome their sexual preferences and live happily ever after on a tropical island. Although poorly received by Spanish film critics, Labyrinth of Passion was a modest success and quickly achieved cult film status. The film is an outrageous look at love and sex, set in Madrid in the early 1980s, during the so-called Movida madrileña, a period of sexual adventurousness after the end of Franco's authoritarian regime and before the rise of AIDS consciousness.