Ventura Pons's stylishly shot 'Carícies' falls under the category of interlinking multiple stories. Each story is an interaction between two people that takes place during a night in Barcelona. Here each main character appears in two stories. For example, the lead in story 1 will appear in story 2 and the other lead in story 2 will appear in story three and so on. That's how the each subsequent story is linked to one another. However, I found the inconsistency in characters to be a big flaw. The characters seem to become different person as they shift to the next story. In addition I found the dialogues to be slightly weak and, at times, forced. Even though some nocturnal shots of Barcelona (that were used between the stories) have been repeated, I liked Pons's style of shooting the film. The sets are simplistic and music is minimal. So it's easy to focus on the characters. The use of Catalan felt authentic. I found the sex and nudity to be a bit gratuitous. The acting is good, especially in the last two segments (by Rosa Maria Sarda, Roger Coma, David Selvas and Julieta Serrano) but most of the actors are limited by the writing. Overall, 'Carícies' is interesting for its style and experimenting but it has its flaws and will not appeal to everyone.
