Confessions of a Congressman

Eloy de la Iglesia's 1978 Spanish film follows Roberto, a leading figure in a left-wing party in the period after the dictatorship. He conceals that he is gay; his political rivals notice and set a trap. The film shows the two faces of Spain in transition. New freedoms are proclaimed in public while private life is still material for blackmail; the position Roberto falls into is not a personal failing but a direct result of the political order. Eloy de la Iglesia made the most openly political and sexual films of the period. Jose Sacristan leads. The narrative shows the trap being laid in detail and the outcome is openly bleak. Who it's for: those interested in Spanish cinema of the transition and queer film history. Who it's not for: viewers troubled by the depiction of sexual relationships with minors; the film contains them and offers no critical frame.