Can the Spanish members please provide an explanation?
Title: La criatura
Well, as a Spanish native I have been tempted on add my own subtitles to this movie, so everyone can enjoy this true GEM.
"The Creature" is the ONLY mainstream movie I know of that deals openly with zoosexuality. To be more specific, of women attracted to dogs.
To add historical context, this Spanish film was filmed in 1977, shortly after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, thereby ending the former far-right political regime, which had strong ties to Catholic authorities. These were times of little freedom in almost all aspects of life, not to mention oppression and harassment of dissidents.
With the new times, Spanish society was experiencing a need to recover all the freedom lost in recent decades, including of course the private lifestyle and sexuality. The films were a reflection of this and after years of severe censorship, many topics that were taboo were shown openly. Topics such as sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, transvestism, threesomes, etc. They were represented daily in conventional films.
There was a certain desire to produce and consume this type of subjects. Sometimes for purely commercial or morbid reasons, but many films had a marked character of social denunciation and the desire to educate society on issues that until then had been impossible to discuss. In this way, there were many films that dealt in a deep and sincere way with the problems faced by the homosexual community, or transgender people.
This particular film went even further, openly dealing with the vicissitudes of the zoosexual community, and specifically women who are attracted to dogs. As I already said, and I must insist, the film is mainstream, and approaches the subject from the least morbid perspective possible. This differentiates it, in my opinion, from other films such as the Italian film "Bestialitá" (1976).
Over the years, the meaning of this film has been redirected to something purely symbolic, with the zoophilic background as a mere allegory of other social and political subthemes of the moment. It's not like that at all. Eloy de la Iglesia was, in fact, a homosexual activist himself, well known for his taste for discussing controversial issues without resorting to symbolism. It dealt with raw topics such as homosexuality, poverty, margination, drugs, and crime. And this is his film where he deals with zoosexuality. It's basically Eloy de la Iglesia saying "hey, hey... these people exist too. They could be your neighbor. Have a little respect because they deserve to live their lives."
Also to be mentioned that the cast is full of well known Spanish actors and actresses. Ana Belén, who plays the role of Cristina, the main character, is one of the most important and recognizable artist in Spain (she is actress and singer). By any means this is a minor movie in Spanish film industry.
To summarize the plot (ALERT, SPOILERS AHEAD): Cristina is a married woman, who does not feel any affection towards her husband. The couple has been trying to have a child for a long time, without success. After some time, he finally gets Cristina pregnant. But unfortunately she has an abortion caused by an incident she experienced with a dog at a gas station. This traumatic episode awakens in Cristina a strange and until then unknown fascination with dogs (it is not clear if it was something latent).
Shortly after the abortion, the couple decides to spend a day at the beach. Cristina becomes infatuated with a young dog that wanders around the area apparently without an owner, and convinces her husband to take him home and adopt him.
From then on, everything is unleashed for the woman, who experiences a roller coaster of emotions. Al treats the dog like the son they didn't have (he even gives him the name they had planned for the baby), showering him with attention that he never offered to the husband, and to his chagrin, who sees how he is little by little replaced by the animal.
Cristina's fascination with the dog soon begins to take on a sexual aspect, with teasing, foreplay, and naked wrestling. In the film there are no explicit scenes, everything is suggested, but it makes it very clear that the woman has taken the step of having intercourse with the dog on a regular basis.
The husband, meanwhile, is not ignorant of Cristina's lifestyle, and witnesses as a passive spectator the romance between his wife and the dog, in their own house, although he does not dare to openly discuss the subject with his wife.
Finally, the man devises a plan to separate the dog from the woman, bringing a female dog to his house so that the animal loses interest in Cristina and keeps him away from her. The result is that Cristina has a fit of jealousy, and the rivalry of both females ends up with the bitch killed.
Frustrated at not being able to handle the situation, he turns to alcohol. One night he comes home drunk and plays a practical joke on his wife, mocking her zoophilic attraction. An argument begins between the two and ends up with the man sexually abusing the woman.
After this episode there is a period of tense calm. The husband seeks the advice of a priest, who recommends that he permanently keep the dog away from the wife. Specifically, we recommend giving the dog up for adoption to a woman he knows, a middle-aged single woman who lives as a school teacher in a town, outside the city.
Despite her own wishes, Cristina accepts, believing that her zoophilic love will never be accepted in society. And perhaps also to save it from the husband's anger, since another episode of violence could end the animal's life.
Cristina and her husband visit the lady in the town, to leave the dog with her. Cristina is going through a very hard time in the face of the imminent separation, and her sadness does not go unnoticed by the lady. The teacher, in an act of deep empathy, tells Cristina: "I know it's hard. Believe me. I know that many people don't understand our feelings." This implies the lady is also a zoophile.
On a personal note, I would like to say that this scene demonstrates precisely the sensitivity and genuinely zoophilic background of the film. For the average viewer, the teacher's phrase goes unnoticed, as it would no longer be a common comment from a regular pet-lover. But for the keenest viewer it clearly implies a moment of deep connection between two zoophilic women, who recognize each other and must speak in hidden code, in plain sight.
Cristina did not respond to the woman, but she understood that she was giving her dog to another zoophile. In her dreams, she imagines the two of them having sex, which torments her and fills her with jealousy.
After having a nightmare, Cristina wakes up and receives a call from her doctor, who gives her the news that she is pregnant.
Here we have a movie ending that I would personally classify as "zoophilic fantasy." Once again, the average viewer will be left with the superficial message. But what the end of the film implies is that Cristina convinces herself from the first moment that she is pregnant with the dog, not with her husband.
Events are triggered. Cristina rushes to rescue her dog from the teacher. The reunion between the two is very emotional. After that, he packs his bags and goes to live in a country house with the animal, far from the city, far from society, without censorship. Only the woman and the dog. The husband resigns himself to the situation, knowing that he has lost his wife at the hands of the dog.
The ending is, as I said before, a zoophilic fantasy. A wink to all those women who confess that their impossible wish is to get pregnant with a dog. This movie makes it possible. Cristina, in an advanced state of pregnancy, plays happily with the dog. It's their new happy life, a happy ending.
The last shot of the film is Cristina's very pregnant belly. Once again, an innocent image for the average viewer, but for us the inevitable question arises: "Could it not be true that she is really pregnant with her dog?" There's a reason the movie is called "The Creature."
As an added note, the song that plays in the background is a romantic melody that talks about loves that cannot be, and how time is lost to have children and a life together, which never comes back. In short, you have to take advantage of the moment with the one you love.
A true movie made for zoophiles, with obvious hidden codes that make it suitable for the mainstream.
