Room in Rome

Plot

Alba (Elena Anaya) seduces a stranger Natasha (Natasha Yarovenko) to her hotel room (the details of how they meet in a club are left vague) in what seems merely a harmless sexual adventure crowning their last night in Rome.

Tentatively, through weave of stories, sex, memories and connection with artworks in the room, the two connect deeply, descending more and more into the depths of truth, trust, and ultimately love. The lovers eventually agree to part ways, returning to their previous lives in Russia and Spain. The ending of the film remains ambiguous about their parting.

Plot details

Alba (Elena Anaya), a Spanish tourist in Rome, seduces a younger Russian woman Natasha (Natasha Yarovenko) to her hotel room during their last night of vacation in Rome.. The details of how they meet in a club are left vague. Natasha is at first quite reluctant insisting shes straight, but clearly more experienced Alba handles deftly around Natashas hesitance. Flattered and tempted by Alba, Natasha responds to sexual advances, but continues to maintain that she is straight and has never had sex with a woman. Alba counters by claiming that she is a lesbian and has never had sex with a man.

Over the next 10 hours, Alba and Natasha share stories from their lives, periodically stopping to illustrate their points with pictures on the Internet, talk about the artwork in the hotel room, and enjoy each others bodies by having sex with each other. Alba first tells a story about how her mother abandoned her when she was a little girl and she ended up as the kept woman of a wealthy Arab in Saudi Arabia, while Natasha shares a story of her abusive father and her twin sisters career as an art historian. Natasha later reveals that her real name is actually Dasha that she is actually a professional tennis player and is to be married the following week in Russia to a man. This turns out to be a lie. Natashas twin sister phones her at least twice to ask of her whereabouts and wedding plans. Alba then reveals that she is a actually a mechanical engineer/inventor in Rome on business and she lives with a woman in Spain. Alba shows Natasha a video of herself and her life partner, named Edurne, who has two small children, a little boy and girl, and whom are of Basque origin. Alba also says that the little boy died recently in a drowning accident.

Natasha and Alba have breakfast together at dawn, which is served by their cheerful room service waiter, named Max. They discuss abandoning their partners and living together in Rome, but both seem to realize that this is not possible. The lovers eventually decide to part ways, returning to their previous lives in Russia and Spain and let the passionate night they shared remain secret. After leaving the hotel and walking away from each other, Natasha calls out to Alba and runs towards her to show off her sprint running skills.

Production

The place where the hotel in the movie is located is an empty square called Piazzetta di San Simeone, the same square that is used in the opening and closing shots of the film.

The principal photography of the film took place in Rome and Madrid from 26 January to 27 February 2009.