The Ugliest Woman in the World (1999)
Somebody has decided to celebrate New Year's Eve 2011 in a very twisted way - by dressing as a nun and brutally dismembering a little old lady. Lt. Arribas, a bald, toothless, one-eyed and lonely detective is called in on the case. His investigations lead him to the door of renegade Doctor Werner, who tells him the strange story of "The Beautiful Otero" the most beautiful woman in the world (former Spanish model Galera) who, before Werner s miraculous surgery, was the ugliest woman in the world! But Lt. Arribas now has a new problem - he is falling in love at a distance with his principle suspect who, because of her traumatic childhood, is planning her vengeance - to sabotage the Miss Spain Beauty Pageant, leaving behind her a trail of dead beauty queens. A super-slick science fiction thriller with a dark and bizarre finale.
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A waste of 90 minutes of my life
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Not extreme, not as clever as it seems to think it is and not as funny either but it is certainly very different and tries very hard. One of the main problems is the CGI effects which overwhelm the slight, if effective, storyline. It is very Spanish and is bound to upset many with it's seeming misogyny and quite unnecessary grubby remarks by the police officers. This may all be part of showing how out of touch the Spanish police are but it grates a little today and reminds one of a 70's Hong Kong flick. Powerful performance from the leading lady but that's about it really. Has to be seen but it's only just above average, unfortunately.
The movie is exceptional in more ways than one, I'd never encountered anything as original. It was obviously conceived by a fascinating enough mind - or a number of them. At the same time, it's one of the most reactionary, misogynist movies I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty. Sexist jokes, demeaning talk, a female antagonist who's "the most beautiful woman in the world" on the outside, but whose true self is evil, twisted and ugly to the last; feminists being portrayed as fat, ugly, raving maniacs - you name it, if it's a woman-bashing cliché it's most likely in there (and it's by no means in there to be mocked or deconstructed, in case anyone was wondering). The movie's being a comedy is a poor excuse, plus an unoriginal one. Whenever a nasty shot at women gets challenged, it's defended with "oh come on, it's just a joke", but the simple fact is (and will always remain) that the kinds of jokes one chooses to make reflect one's attitude and views on the subject at hand. All in all, the movie is yet another potshot at females, taken by a man who's obviously fundamentally intimidated by them. Very engaging and interesting to watch no doubt (makes a change), but no less typical.
I was expecting La Mujer Mas Fea Del Mundo to be an average or slightly above average movie. Oh boy, how wrong! First of all, it's unique, but it doesn't screw it up. It somehow reminded me a little bit of El Dia De La Bestia, which I don't know why. All in all, it seems like Almodovar isn't the only Spaniard to direct excellent films. La Mujer Mas Fea Del Mundo is a sci-fi, a comedy, and has a good touch of romance too. The plot is extraordinary and well-managed. The acting is perfect. The stuttering guy and Elia Galera could very well win something like an Oscar. It's quite captivating too, I couldn't leave my chair for a second! A perfect 10 for this great, different movie. Highly recommended!
It's an original movie, possibly the best of Miguel Bardem: Lola is a girl who was abandoned in a convent because she was "the ugliest woman in the world"; eighteen years later, a professor of university tries an experiment with her, she becomes "the most beautiful woman in the world" and she starts to kill all the Miss Spain, angry with the beauty.The story happens into a future republican Spain (republican Spain? Really future!), the policemen are stupid (in future, too?) and the movie doesn't lose a little sense of humor, it has a moral and a nice final like a fairy tale.The lead actress, Elia Galera, maybe needs a little more of experience in acting, but her beauty and style are appropiate for her character.