Deseo

Deseo links eight short episodes of seduction and secret meetings set in a cosmopolitan colonial Mexican city. Each story focuses on a different set of characters, from an actress to a señora to younger women and adolescents, and stages encounters that mix humor with erotic tension. Scenes repeat motifs and settings so moments echo one another, creating a circular pattern that ties the vignettes together without resolving every thread. The tone moves between playful and uneasy as social ritual, attraction, and power shape shifting alliances and flirtations, leaving the viewer with impressions of longing and social constraint rather than a single clear outcome.

Released in 2013, Deseo adapts material by Arthur Schnitzler, reworked by Antonio Zavala Kugler. The production gathered a notable Latin American cast including Edith González, Christian Bach, Paola Nuñez and Leonor Varela, situating Schnitzler's intimate scenarios in a Mexican colonial atmosphere.

Deseo had a limited theatrical run and modest commercial reach, screening at select festivals and regional cinemas. It didn't break into mainstream box office charts, finding most of its audience through specialty screenings and later availability on home video and streaming in Spanish-language markets.

The film drew attention for transplanting Viennese fin de siecle erotica into a Mexican colonial backdrop, prompting discussions about adaptation, period detail, and cultural translation. Its ensemble cast, particularly González and Varela, helped the movie register with viewers who follow Latin American arthouse and erotic dramas.

Audience and critical reactions were mixed to positive, reflected in an average user rating around 6.5 out of 10. Praise tended to focus on the strong cast and the sensual, theatrical atmosphere, while criticism pointed to uneven pacing and the uneven strengths of individual episodes. Thematically, Deseo returns to desire, secrecy, social codes and the small power plays that shape intimate encounters.