A very beautiful poignant film that touches on the toxic culture of machoism, and how it struggles to come to term with a character who is a proud and out queer individual. I only wish the daughter's character was fleshed out a little more.

Based upon the namesake book written by Chilean José Donoso. La Manuela (Roberto Cobo) is a gay who works in a brothel managed by La Japonesa (Japanese lady, Lucha Villa). However the building's owned by Don Alejo (Fernando Soler). One night Don Alejo, the most powerful man in town, trying have fun bets La Japonesa she won't seduce La Manuela, if so he will give her away the building. So, that night both, the whore Japonesa and the seduced gay Manuela, become owners of the house but also, without meaning to, beget La Japonesita (little Japanese lady, Ana Martin). Years later Pancho, who when child had been Mr. Alejo's protégé, tries to hurt and kill La Manuela without known reasons. La Japonesita and his father fear any day Pancho will show up to kill him. After an argument with Mr. Alejo, Pancho's brother in law, Octavio (Julián Pastor), lends him some money so he breaks ties with Mr. Alejo. Then they come to the brothel to celebrate. When La Manuela hears Pancho's truck coming he hides away, but after seeing him mistreating La Japonesita he comes back to save her. La Manuela seems to realize that in fact Pancho is also a gay. So dressed as Flamenco dancer, he dances for him the zarzuela La Leyenda del Beso (Legend of the Kiss). Slowly, step by step, La Manuela goes taming and seducing the macho man. Soon they are dancing together and kissing each other. When Octavio finds his brother in law kissing La Manuela, breaks the spell, making Pancho's bewilderment turn to hate. La Manuela realizes now he is in real danger so he runs away. Then both brothers in law hunt him down through the dark streets of the town to punish him, beating him dead for having kissed Pancho.