Spunky

Madrid 1922. A city wavering on the edge
of change as traditional values are challenged by the dangerous new
influences of Jazz, Freud and the avant-garde. Salvador Dalí arrives at
university: 18 years old and determined to become a great artist. His
bizarre blend of shyness and rampant exhibitionism attracts the
attention of two of the university’s social elite -Federico García
Lorca and Luis Buñuel.

Salvador is absorbed into their
decadent group and for a time Salvador, Luis and Federico become a
formidable trio, the most ultra-modern group in Madrid. However as time
passes, Salvador feels an increasingly strong pull towards the
charismatic Federico – who is himself oblivious of the attentions he is
getting from his beautiful writer friend, Margarita. Finally, in the
face of his friends’ preoccupations – and Federico’s growing renown as
a poet – Luis sets off for Paris in search of his own artistic success.


Federico and Salvador spend the holiday in the sea-side town
of Cadaques. Both the idyllic surroundings and the warmth of the Dalí
family sweep Federico off his feet. Salvador and he draw closer,
sharing their deepest beliefs, inspirations and secrets, convinced that
they have found a kind of friendship undreamt of by others. It is more
than a meeting of the minds; it is a fusion of souls. And then one
night, in the phosphorescent water, it becomes something else…

A
seemingly innocent kiss throws Federico and Salvador into the realms of
the taboo. In the world of Spanish Catholicism homosexuality is an
affront against God and man. On their return to Madrid the two embark
on an unspoken, secret affair, terrified to do more than steal the
occasional kiss, hidden in the darkness. When Luis visits, he is
appalled to realise that Federico is in love with Salvador. He leaves
the city in shock rather than confronting his one-time friend.

Salvador
visits Luis in Paris and returns determined to separate himself from
both Federico and Madrid – Luis has convinced him that both are proving
detrimental to his career. Federico, increasingly fearful of his
emotions, now becomes terrified of the thought of losing Salvador. One
fateful afternoon the situation escalates as, frustrated and
manipulated, Federico has sex with Margarita whilst Salvador watches.
The episode leaves Federico distraught as Salvador becomes colder than
ever and leaves for Paris.

Alone in Madrid, Federico
struggles against his psyche, tortured by the damning implications of
his own religious beliefs and the undeniable voice of his flesh. He is
haunted by news of Salvador who is collaborating on a Surrealist film
with Luis and has embarked on an affair with a married woman – Gala.
Finally Margarita forces Federico to admit to himself his homosexuality
and carry on with his life.

He departs for America, never expecting to see Salvador again…

Madrid
1936. Spain is teetering on the precipice of civil war. Federico, now a
highly acclaimed and controversial playwright, receives an invitation
to dinner from Salvador and Gala. But the hosts have a rather unusual
agenda and the evening is a disaster. A week later, Salvador is hosting
a party when he discovers that Federico has been assassinated in the
outbreak of war. The walls of self-denial that surround the artist come
crashing down as he realises, too late, the depth of his love for
Federico.