Weakness of the Bolshevik (2003)

AKA: La Flaqueza del Bolchevique
Directed by: Manuel Martin Cuenca
Starring: Luis Tosar (Pablo), Maria Valverde (Maria), Mar Regueras (Sonsoles), Nathalie Poza (Eva)
Country: Spain; Effed Up European Cinema
Language: Spanish (Eng Subs); Effed Up Spanish Films
Runtime: 01:33:51
Genres: Old-Young Relationships, Teenager, Voyeur-Stalking

Plot – Spoilers:
A middle-aged Spanish banker, Pablo, is unhappy about everything in his life. He thinks of himself as a Bolshevik based on a college thesis he never completed, yet won’t consider releasing himself from the stranglehold of his corporate job. He thinks he’s achieved a clarity about where he stands in life, but like with everything else, he’s only confused. So he’ll make crude remarks in the presence of women, hate them if they desire him, turn venomous and vindictive if they are contemptuous of him, yet also be kind to his female assistant.

Pablo pines for his childhood and teen years despite growing up without money or much parental involvement in a rough neighborhood. This yearning for the past has also instilled in him a strong belief that to be innocent is to be young. So when he’s got a lonely evening to himself at home, he spends it browsing books on the Russian Revolution, while also being fascinated by a particular photo of a group of young Russian girls.

The film starts with Pablo getting into a minor accident and fight with a woman whom he then starts prankcalling. Until he notices she has a younger school-going sister with a Virgin Maria appeal that takes his breath away.