Fifty Shades of Cervantes

 Quixotic Desires: When Cervantes Gets Naughty

Cervantes Before Don Quixote: 

History Gets a Little Hot and Bothered

Alejandro Amenábar is back. 

Yes, the man who gave us the solemn While at War (Lettres à Franco) now returns with something much more playful — and, let’s be honest, much more sultry. 

Cervantes Before Don Quixote isn’t really a biopic; it’s more of a sensual duel where the sharpest weapon isn’t a sword but a glance.

The setup? 

In 1575, young Miguel de Cervantes, not yet famous but already dangerously talented, gets himself captured by the Sultan of Algiers. 

Instead of despairing in his cell, he spins tales like someone posting endless Instagram reels.

 The inmates can’t get enough — and soon even his jailer falls under the spell. 

Which brings us to the film’s true theme: seduction as universal currency, breaking down walls, dogmas, genders… and yes, a fair number of tunics left suspiciously unbuttoned.

But the real fireworks? 

The chemistry between the two leads.

Julio Peña Fernández is all fiery intensity as Cervantes — clever, passionate, forever teasing the line between manipulation and genuine desire. 

And then there’s Alessandro Borghi as Hassan Veneziano. 

Let’s be clear: this is not just “acting.” Borghi owns the screen, blending Venetian elegance, raw authority, and lethal sensuality. Every time he appears, you can practically hear audiences tossing their chastity belts into the Mediterranean.

Amenábar dares to go where most biopics chicken out: a possible homoerotic romance between prisoner and captor.

 Was it real? Was it imagined? Who cares. 

What matters is the blazing chemistry, the constant hum of desire, the way every threat feels like foreplay and every conversation a slow undressing.

Yes, there are brutal scenes, daring escape attempts, and narrative layers that hint at the birth of Don Quixote. 

But the real takeaway is simple: Borghi, incandescent, irresistible, turning captivity into the hottest game in town.

And Peña, who throws himself into this inferno with the passion of a man whose destiny is equal parts ink and fire.

So no, this isn’t a safe, reverent biography. 

El Cautivo (its original title) is a fever dream, a romantic, sensual, and mischievous spin on history. 

Amenábar has found his spark again, Cervantes his swagger — and Borghi? He’s found the key to keeping us all deliciously captive.

BY Giulia Dobre

Oct.1st, 2025

Paris