The Ferpect Crime

A Spanish black comedy set in a department store. Rafael works in the women's clothing department of a large store. He is good at it; he is the top seller and next in line for department manager. His life is arranged accordingly: his relationships with the women around him, his clothes and his speech all serve selling. The promotion goes to someone else. He argues with his rival and there is an accident: the man dies. Rafael manages to dispose of the body. But there is a witness: Lourdes, who works on the floor and whom nobody notices. She says what she saw and wants something in return: Rafael to be with her. What follows is a story of captivity. Lourdes enters every detail of his life: what he wears, whom he sees, where he spends the weekend. To get free he has to make another plan. The register is exaggerated and colourful; the store sets, the lighting and the costumes are kept deliberately artificial. Guillermo Toledo plays Rafael and Mónica Cervera plays Lourdes. Álex de la Iglesia directed. An enjoyable production for anyone who likes Spanish black comedy and criticism of consumption. Before you watch, know this: the humour is built on appearance and some jokes look harsh from here.