With an “Almodovarian” twist and the flamboyance of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, director Ramón Salazar’s 20 Centimeters tells the story of Marieta (Mónica Cervera) a narcoleptic, transsexual who longs to get rid of 8 inches (20 centimetres) of equipment that separates her from being the glamorous woman she dreams to be. When she accidentally falls asleep, usually at the most inopportune times, Marieta’s dreams become lavish and colourful musical numbers, whereas as a real woman she can sing in Spanish, French & English. So cue up the lights, powder that face and slip on that sexy gown because Marieta’s dreams are about to come true…
But because so much screen time is spent in fantasyland, the film’s reality-based storylines, focus on the sometimes bleak, even tragic, elements of Marieta’s everyday life — her conflicted sexuality, prostitution work and complex relationships with her roommate (a dwarf) and a neighbour’s young son — end up serving mainly as springboards for the high-energy set pieces.
