There is a fine line between comedic exploitation and drama, and Felipe Cazals’ Las 7 Cucas dances on top of that line for 87 minutes. A wonderful mix of Benny Hill-like humor and somber drama with more than a hint of social commentary, Last 7 Cucas is an enjoyable combination of elements that work very well when separate but seldom shine when thrown together.

 

Las 7 Cucas
Mexico, 1981, Felipe Cazals

The plot of Las 7 Cucas is the perfect vehicle for its mixture of drama and comedy. Cuco is the father of six daughters and is obsessed with two things: convincing his daughters to reach marriage with their virginity intact and ensuring his wife never cheats on him. His wife, Cuca, shares the same obsession and often threatens to cut off Cuco’s “conscience” if he’s unfaithful. To make matters worse, the daughters repeatedly make it clear that, if he were to cheat on their mom, it would be like cheating on them. With all that pressure at home, when his boss, a rich woman who owns the farm where Cuco works seduces him with some much needed money, he ends up smothering her with a pillow and taking the cash. Cuco can’t deal with the guilt and the truth comes out. As a result, Cuco hangs himself. Since his actions made him a criminal, the town refuses to grant him an official funeral, which they did for the woman that seduced him. The seven Cucas are kicked out of their home and told to leave. In a small town, your name is everything, and these women have been dishonored by Cuco’s actions. As a result, they lose their jobs and everyone refuses them service, conversation, and food. Homeless, broke, and with nowhere to turn, they become prostitutes. Since every man in town had been in love with the sisters, business explodes and the Cucas basically control the town. As part of their vengeance plan, they force each man who enters their brothel to light a candle for Cuco. In the end, the rest of the women in town, angry wives who know where their husbands have been spending their time and money, are forced to negotiate with the Cucas: an official funeral in exchange for them leaving town. Besides getting what they want, the sisters also manage to keep one of them a virgin to honor Cuco’s wishes and force the cheating husbands to apologize to their wives via following the funeral procession naked.

Between Cuco’s suicide and the struggles the Cucas have to go through, you would think this is really a drama. However, the best thing about Las 7 Cucas is its immature, relentless humor. For the first half hour, every single conversation contains a plethora of innuendos, comebacks, and double entendres. To give you an example of the wonderfully ridiculous extent of the spicy humor, when Cuco asks her boss for a loan while milking a cow, this is her reply: “With that way you have of getting the milk out, there’s nothing I can deny you!” Another gem occurs in the river while the sisters are bathing and their mother is washing clothes. An uptight lady tells them to disappear, Cuca tell her to come down and say it to her face and proceeds to call the woman a “fucking lesbian.” The women meet in the middle of the river for the fight. After one swing, Cuca’s left breast comes out. The lady pulls Cuca toward her and whispers “How pretty!” That should give you a sense of what you’re in for with this film.

Technically speaking, Las 7 Cucas is surprisingly good. The audio is original and way better than most Mexican movies from the early 80s. Also, the acting is not as awful as many other productions of the time and camera work is very basic but gives the impression that the director was trying to keep things as clean as possible. The only letdown is the graininess, but fans of old movies know that nothing is really free and, in this case, that lack of definition is the price you pay for having this film available online at no cost.

Besides the dialogue, there are a few other things that make the humor in this film a must-see for those that enjoy absurdity. If having seven women sharing a first name is not enough for you, there’s a man falling down and breaking his penis, a homosexual gentleman that decides to teach a prostitute how to strip when her dance fails to make him straight, a judge that likes to be punished with a rope, and a female butcher who is a lesbian and probably the horniest character in the film. If any of this appeals to you, make sure you watch Las 7 Cucas.