Km. 0 (2000) User Reviews

Dog days of summer in Madrid

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 1 June 2006]

Madrid's Puerta del Sol, is considered the central point in the city. It's a busy place in the old section of town. The plaza is also a meeting point for people, as it's the case in the film. We are presented about a dozen people that are more interconnected than we imagined, as each life touches another.

"Km. 0" is an entertaining film that shows some characters that are in search of discovering themselves as some of they embark in several sexual encounters. Some will pay off, others not too well. All the characters are affected by the heat wave during that summer day. Most of them will discover something about themselves and will make resolutions for changes in their lives.

The film credits two directors, Yolanda Garcia Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra, who have collaborated before and are also the screen writers. They work a lot on Spanish television. The ensemble cast do a wonderful job under the directors commands.

This is a light fun film with fast pacing that will entertain the viewer. The only odd note is the ending, which is seen from the would be director's eyes, as though everything has been a movie in the making in his imagination.

A cute mix of drama and romantic comedy

[davidals · 7/10 · 29 February 2004]

Low-budget and light, KM 0 is - nonetheless - a refreshing blend of drama and romantic comedy. Combining a sprawling Altman-size cast, a touch of Almodovar camp, and a Frank Capra sweetness, the film follows the interaction and evolving connections between 14 strangers from various backgrounds who all share a coincidental meeting place at the center of Madrid, during a highly symbolic heat wave. The varied situations they find themselves in are fairly cut-and-dried at first, but each evolves in an unusual direction, and at least a few of the characters (the younger gay man, the middle aged woman) are quite fascinating and endearing. This attention to detail elevates this charming but messy film above the usual romantic comedy, and the Capra-esquire twist near the film's end was pleasantly unexpected. With the exception of the middle-aged woman, I found the male characters to be much more well developed. The fact that a couple of the women preserve connections to men who treat them badly seemed highly unnecessary - though perhaps realistic, it didn't really work as a critique of sexual politics, and this threw a sour note into an otherwise breezy and pleasant film.

But overall there's plenty of charm here, and I found KM 0 to be mostly a treat.

Charming and very funny, despite slightly odd ending

[StevenCapsuto · 8/10 · 2 May 2001]

Picture a romantic sex comedy as it might have been codirected by Frank Capra and Pedro Almodóvar, and you'll have a vague idea of the kind of quirky confection Serrano and Iborra have cooked up.

Iborra introduced the screening I saw in April 2001 at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. He said he got the idea for "Km. 0" while standing in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, watching different combinations of people meet up at the plaza's famous zero-kilometer mark. This engaging, surprising, very funny and sentimental ensemble piece follows more than a dozen such characters of varying ages, professions and sexual orientations as their stories cross and separate over the course of one day.

My only gripe: the plot twist at the end seems unecessarily corny, though admittedly it's not at odds with what we saw earlier in the film. On the whole, "Km. 0" is worth seeing.

A menagerie of Madrid's humanity in heat!

[ElianaM · 10/10 · 30 April 2001]

This hilarious and hip farce follows the 14 strangers of various classes, ages and sexual preferences, each of whom has a date with the other at 6 PM at Km. 0 (the exact center) of Madrid. The heat is unbearable (hint- metaphor). After a romp through the most outrageous (and comical) situations between 6 PM and the proverbial midnight hour (another metaphor), each will find the person/significant other he/she wants. This ideal companion may change (even a few times) during the course of the evening. But by midnight, Mr. or Ms. Right may not be the original date.

So, the plot's not too original...perhaps too many corny metaphors? But that only adds to the satirical appeal of this farce. Its real forte' are the ingenious situations, the linkage of the characters, and the location for absolutely screwball, sexual, and crass humor, which only a tolerant and modern Latin European capital affords. Great comedy!

A light hearted comedy suitable

[cdshow · 20 March 2006]

This delightful comedy follows the 14 characters whose plans to meet on an unbearably hot afternoon at KM 0 in Madrid become unraveled by midnight. There is the film student thinking he is meeting a cousin for lodging; a lady scheduling to meet a younger john; a flamenco dancer who thought he is seeing an internet date; a nerd planning for a first time tryst with a hooker; a girl shopping for a wedding to an unexcited boyfriend and a desperate actress hoping to land a part in a musical. Come midnight and the long awaited rain, all their expectations were met unexpectedly. Acting is low brow but very believable. Some spot on emotions (and funny) like when bride-to-be had an empty pistol shot at her head and the highly-charged nerd cum when touched by a gigolo. I thought the whole movie is more about the happenings in the Diner (where they all meet) owned by the reluctant groom rather than KM 0 itself but hey, you will smile and laugh along the way.

Not believable, but definitely entertaining.

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 26 December 2022]

'Km.0' (or Kilometer Zero) is a case of chance encounters and mistaken identity that leads to hilarious consequences...and romance. There's no main protagonist, and no main antagonist. The film follows several characters meeting at Kilometre Zero - a popular meeting place in Madrid - and how they're affected by meeting the wrong person, that might just be the right person!

I enjoyed the many different characters - from a hooker unhappy with her life, to a woman caught up in a monotonous, loveless marriage. From a woman about to marry a man she thinks she loves, to a young man still hoping to one day meet his mother after all these years, and a woman prepared to do whatever it takes to become a serious actress.

For most parts, the events are not believable or relatable, but it sure is entertaining and an absolute pleasure to watch. There's humour and drama, character development and coming of age.

Although the film is cheesy at times, especially the ending, I loved every minute.

14 characters searching for love on a hot afternoon in Madrid

[esh04676 · 10/10 · 20 December 2004]

This film is a delight and somewhat of a surprise for its frank treatment of all kinds of sexual relationships. Each character has his or her unique adventure seeking companionship,love, or excitement during one steamy afternoon and evening in Madrid, the unifying element being the meetings at the kilometer zero marker in one of the city's plazas, from which distances to other locations in Spain are measured. There are various mishaps ranging from mistaken identities to a minor auto accident. Everything has a delightfully light touch, and this viewer empathized easily with all the characters in their amorous adventures, ranging from the neglected middle-aged wife who hires a gigolo to the young backpacker who wants to help a prostitute gain more self-confidence. The use of a wallet photograph to establish a crucial identity reminds one of Restoration comedies in which a portrait in a locket is so important to the plot. In so many ways Km.0 is very traditional and in other ways, as in its frank depiction of a variety of sexual relationships, very modern. My one criticism of the film is the relegation of Tristan Ulloa to a role in which the talents he displayed in Sex and Lucia are not utilized.

Funny & really enjoyable

[jaydmac · 9/10 · 7 April 2004]

I rented this twice. I didn't get the chance to see it the first time I brought it home. Something about it nagged me, so I took again. What a truly enjoyable film. A few times I could see around the corners of the script, but many times I was pleasantly surprised. There's not as much of the Madrid scenery as I would have liked to have seen as I've never been there. But beautiful faces made up for beautiful places.

The story line where the older woman meets a male prostitute was an interesting direction, though the results were obvious. The portion about the dancer and the man he meets didn't offer enough meat to be really compelling, so I couldn't give it a 10.

Regardless of the flaws, it was just plain enjoyable. I really liked it a lot. Take this one home!

Another Brilliant film from Spain

[clive-13 · 10/10 · 22 November 2004]

With the fall of all things Franco in Spain during the last two decades nothing has flourished and blossomed more beautifully than Spanish cinema. From "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" in the late 1980's to more recent cinematic gems "All About My Mother", "Talk to Her" and "The Devil's Backbone" among many, Spanish writers, directors, producers and actors have been free to create film that is unique, shocking, thought-provoking, profound, many times achingly human and often hilarious and heartfelt. That is the case with the delicious comedy/drama "Kilometer 0", or "Km. 0". At first blush I know I have seen some of these superb actors and actresses in other films from Spain, but I am not sufficiently familiar with their names as yet. ** *******SPOILERS AHEAD*********This film, takes place on a hot day in Madrid's summer over a time span of approximately 8 hours or so from 4 pm to midnight on the same day. The complex story line relies on the age old "cheat" of mass mistaken identity to propel this film and it's wildly different characters forward. You are introduced to 14 persons who , for one reason or another all are to rendezvous at a stone marker in the sidewalk of a Madrid central square called Km 0. Of course, everyone meets people who they think are there to meet them, but they are all meeting the wrong people. A frustrated wealthy older woman whose boring husband pays her no attention orders a male hustler to make her feel like a woman again, two gay men meet on a chat-line and agree to get it on for a tryst, an out of town boy arrives and thinks he will meet his sister's conservative friend. You get the picture. Throw in a whore going to Km 0 to meet a john, a panic stricken straight guy who needs to get laid, an actress who can't get a part and a director of musicals looking for some new voices and you have one giant, mixed up group of folks. The acting is excellent , the comedy and pathos are real, the sex is hot and every one ends up at the same little bar drinking champagne. This is such an entertaining little movie that makes you feel so good. One to keep!

Misconnections Lead to Happy Endings

[turrisi · 10/10 · 28 July 2003]

This movie is an utter delight that is bound to leave you with tears of joy or at least a broad smile. Kilometer Zero is where one begins to measure the roads in Madrid Spain. Located on the central Puerto Del Sol Plaza, it provides an obvious rendezvous point for anyone making a connection -- or in this case, mis-connections, where people supposed to meet, wind up meeting people they were not supposed to meet, but perhaps they needed to meet them anyway! Farcical perhaps, but in this case most of the characters seem trapped in a rather unhappy places in their lives, victims of their own disillusionment, or forced choices from the past. These range from strained marriages, to work as a handsome gigolo with a heart, to a hooker with a lack of self confidence, to a young gay man abandoned by his mother, a flamenco dancer, hot as a fire cracker, who lost his parents and seeks a partner on the internet, a would be bridegroom and a won't be bridegroom, with a bride to be that yearns for a boy from her youth, and her sister who yearns more passionately for her boyfriend, an actress without a part, and a director trying to cast a musical as he works out the drama of his own life. Liaisons, gay and straight, take on an almost, well an angelic quality. In the end, our friends find themselves in a much happier place because of their open hearts and these misconnected encounters that change them forever. A strange title, but this movie thoroughly enraptured me. Do not miss it.

A Delightful Romp!

[barbg · 10/10 · 22 June 2001]

This is a completely entertaining, hilariously funny, film. The story revolves around a series of coincidences and mistaken identities among an attractive group of Madrilenos of varied ages and sexual inclinations on a scorching summer day. While the plot, as such, is completely ridiculous and fairly predictible, the performances are uniformly terrific, and there are some very amusing twists and turns on the way to the foregone conclusion. Well worth seeing, much more genuinely amusing than most Hollywood attempts at romantic comedy.

Hilarious, sexually frank

[tau_male · 10/10 · 11 June 2001]

Watch closely at the beginning as the ensemble characters are introduced. There are a lot of characters and the interplay between them is superb. For being funny, the movie still has a lot of power to shock with dark humor. The gay content is very frank, very natural, and very funny.

Hilarious, sexually frank

[tau_male · 10/10 · 11 June 2001]

Watch closely at the beginning as the ensemble characters are introduced. There are a lot of characters and the interplay between them is superb. For being funny, the movie still has a lot of power to shock with dark humor. The gay content is very frank, very natural, and very funny.

a comedy about hope and joy

[Gaboaldana · 10/10 · 11 October 2010]

The story may not be the original one has seen. In some ways it's the typical comedy of errors with many characters who are confused with each other. But on the other hand, it has something different, something special: the Latin touch that makes the humor really work. In the sweltering heat of one of the hottest days of summer in Madrid, it comes a comedy full of characters a little dark: a prostitute, a male prostitute, a girl in love with his brother in law, a mother who abandoned her son, casual sex seekers ... but all eventually filled with light from within. People living with a dark shell, but fragile and full of love inside. A movie to watch when looking for a little encouragement, to feel that when things go wrong, we are actually faced with a chance to be better.