The Ages of Lulu is a 1990 Spanish film, directed by Bigas Luna, starring Francesca Neri. Javier Bardem has a small role as a corrupt gay man, one of his first roles on screen. Ángela Molina rejected the role for the sex scenes. The film is the version of the international best-selling novel with the same name written by Almudena Grandes. María Barranco won the Goya Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role as a transsexual prostitute. Francesca Neri is dubbed into Spanish by another actress. The film is about a young woman's sexual awakening. She experiements in a range of... sexual practices and taboos. The film was cut in the UK by two minutes and 55 seconds by the BBFC. These cuts include an S&M orgy at a gay club being shortened, a man sexually touching Lulu and a sex scene; these scenes were restored for the 2002 DVD release. In addition to these cuts an opening scene were Lulu is baptised was cut as Lulu's vagina is exposed to camera; this shot is considered to be in breach of the Child Protection Act. The 2002 UK DVD required 1:15 cuts for baptism scene; a new title sequence was used instead.
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