Bulgarian Lovers (Los novios bulgáros) is the second recent Spanish film dealing with bisexuality. In the 1999 movie I Will Survive (Sobreviveré), a straight woman believes that she has found the love of her life in the person of a gay who has just unhappily broken up with his boyfriend, but she is doomed to be disappointed because she does not fathom the intensity of same-sex attraction. In Bulgarian Lovers, the gay, Daniel (played by Fernando Guillén Cuervo), is the one dumped by a bisexual Bulgarian, Kyril (played by Dritan Biba), whose primary affection is with his wife Kalina (played by Anita Sinkovic). The end of the story is predictable; Daniel's voiceovers, which appear early and throughout the film, clearly suggest the eventual outcome. What is most fascinating about Bulgarian Lovers is how the two men meet, are attracted, mate, and remain in love, as they differently define their mutual attraction, despite the ups and downs of their relationship; profound insights into many failed gay relationships are found in the story. Daniel and Kyril unsurprisingly meet at a gay bar. Kyril is with his faggy friends, whereas macho Kyril is hoping to be picked up by someone. Unlike his friends, Daniel is not effeminate; he is a rather mellow gay who acts in a gentlemanly manner. He is instantly attracted to Kyril's raw masculinity, and the two soon end up in the sack, with Kyril playing an extremely dominant role. Clearly, Kyril more than satisfies Daniel as the kind of husband for which he has always lusted--an affectionate, dominant, muscular partner. Indeed, Kyril's complete conquest mesmerizes Daniel. Whatever Kyril wants, Daniel provides, an unspoken master-slave type of relationship that involves free rent, cooked gourmet meals, passionate but not kinky sex, assistance in regularizing his immigration status, and ultimately generous financial support. Kyril, however, is also involved with the Bulgarian mafia in Spain. He brandishes large sums of money from time to time, asking Daniel to hold them for him. On one occasion, there are burn marks on Kyril's hands, suggesting (incorrectly) the possibility that he is engaged in manufacturing illegal drugs. Kyril's Bulgarian friends seek business contacts that suggest something illegal as well. Rather than trying to find out what Kyril really does for a living, Daniel prefers a "don't ask" approach so that he will be unable to confess anything in case the police later interrogate him; all the while, he fears that he is running afoul of the law. Daniel's friends urge him to be more cautious, but the passionate relationship is just too important in his life. Ultimately, Kyril asks for a very large loan, Daniel demurs, and Kyril walks out; but one week later Daniel is begging to restart the relationship by coming through with the money. Kyril then uses the loan, which he promises sweetly if falsely to pay back, in order to buy a motorcycle and to import his wife from Berlin. Kyril then commutes between one residence with Daniel, another with Kalina, and various unidentified out-of-town business trips. During one absence, Daniel picks up another Bulgarian for sex in his apartment, but Kyril cleverly responds by sending two masked men to enter the apartment in order to break up the fun. Kyril is obviously in complete control of Daniel, who in turn enjoys being controlled. One day, Kyril is in the hospital, having been savagely beaten up. Now he begs Daniel to finance a flight back to Bulgaria, a trip that enables Kyril and Kalina to have a Bulgarian wedding. During the time in Sofia, Daniel meets Kyril's teenage brother Robi (played by Alejandro Núñez), who tries unsuccessfully to seduce him. After the wedding, Daniel finances a trip of the newlyweds back to Spain, but soon Kyril is arrested for an unknown offense. The bail money comes from the market value of a radioactive tube in a bag that Kyril has slyly hidden in the wine cellar of the residence of Daniel parents in the provinces, suggesting that the Bulgarians are marketing purloined elements of a possible nuclear bomb to terrorist groups in Spain. After Kyril emerges from jail, Daniel pays to enable Kyril and Kalina to leave Spain for an unknown destination, presumably where he will escape involvement in the Bulgarian mafia. Although Daniel asks Kyril to contact him from time to time, there is no subsequent contact. Two years later, a more mature and muscular Robi shows up in the same Spanish gay bar, hoping to seduce Daniel in much the same manner as Kyril, a fitting end to the saga and perhaps a beginning to a future sequel. The plot says much about the Faustian lengths to which gay men may go to indulge their fantasies as well as the Spanish fascination with bisexual men. The best part of the film for gay filmviewers will be the eye-candy sight of Kyril's well-build body, naked from head to toe, front and rear, for extended periods of time. Directed by Eloy de la Iglesia and based on the novel by Eduardo Mendicutti, the porn aspects go far beyond any commercial gay movie yet made. Bulgarian Lovers, which challenges gays to contemplate how far they will submit to gain sex and affection while suppressing the obvious fact that they are in a relationship of unrequited love, is destined to be a cult film. MH
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