Escambrón, playa

A 16-year-old awaits her period after having sex for the first time, learning to own her power as she becomes more familiar with her body.

There must be men who think intellect and eloquence are sexy, but they don’t get a mention from the women in this short student film from Cuba. Over a black screen, they paint a picture of the man as hunter and the woman as willing prey who must give her all to arouse and maintain his sexual interest. The competition, lurking like vultures, must be ruthlessly eradicated, and even in your own home you shouldn’t think of wandering around in an old housecoat and slippers. We then see just how harsh the dictates of beauty can be: close-up sequences document beauty treatments that would earn medals in wartime. No area of the female body is allowed to go unnoticed. You have to suffer to be beautiful, the cliché goes. La Bonita reveals just how much suffering that entails.