Where to watch Without Men
1 Star
After the men of a small Latin American village are recruited into a rebel army, the women are left to fend for themselves. Initially the females are illiterate and useless outside of procreation (as depicted in the early scenes). The lone male left in the town is an unscrupulous priest, who convinces the ladies that the only way to ensure the villages’ survival is to attempt impregnation in the hope of generating males for a future work force. This amusing bit is so botched that even the lame attempts by Eva Longoria and Oscar Nuñez aren’t enough to generate a single laugh.
Soon the women realize that the priest is infertile and he’s run out of town. In his absence a mysterious woman labeled El Diablo arrives and challenges Longoria’s character for the position of Mayor. Inexplicably these events lead to a sexual awakening between the woman and numerous lesbian couples are born. This includes awkward scenes of the ladies learning about the joys of masturbation (accompanied by a ridiculously tasteless pop song that literally comments on the action) and much frolicking in the lake nude. Shoehorned into the proceedings is Christan Slater as a journalist who stumbles upon the utopian village.
I’m sure the filmmakers believed there was a message in the material. As presented it’s offensive not only to men (all male characters are either adulterers, abusive or violent) but women (illiterate, promiscuous or ignorant) as well. Without Men was shot on location at my alma mater Brooks Institute of Photography, so I do have a soft spot for it. I was ready to really enjoy this picture and within moments the entire film self destructed.
Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
Stars: Eva Longoria, Christian Slater, Oscar Nunez