Tenemos 18 años (1959)

It's an interesting occurrence whenever a filmmaker becomes synonymous with a certain film or style after already leaving behind them a sizable body of work. For instance when Takashi Miike became a name to know among western film fans in the late 90's following Audition (1999), Miike was already a veteran with 30 films to his credit. Umberto Lenzi may be notorious for the likes of Nightmare City (1980) and Cannibal Ferox (1981), but the man was genre chameleon, capable of quality work in genres ranging from spaghetti western to historical adventure to giallo and of course, poliziotteschi. In the case of Jess Franco, there were several things Franco became known for, to both fans and critics, but by and large, if there was a specific type of film Franco would be most associated with, it would be erotic horror, with Franco really shifting into gear with The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962). Orlof is indeed a crucial Franco title, but Franco's path to Orlof offers a glimpse of the prolific and diverse path Franco traversed  throughout his entire career. Prior to unleashing the mad doctor, Franco had already handled a musical, Queen of the Tabarin Club (1960) and a spy comedy, Labios rojos (1960), who's characters Franco would return to multiple times, but it all began with Tenemos 18 años, Franco's feature debut which showcased his ability to balance a variety of genres.

Growing bored with their home and school life and wanting a change of scenery, 18 year old cousins Maria (Isana Medel) and Pili hit the road in a beat up old car purchased from Mariano, their scheming, constantly broke cousin. Jumping forward in time, Franco shows the girls writing their memories of the trip, though they have a tendency to embellish the events, with the truth of one particular memory affecting their outlook on the future.

So it begins. For anyone with a handful of Franco titles that came from the late 60's onwards under their belt, watching Tenemos 18 años (We are 18 Years Old) can be a rather fascinating experience as the film does give a glimpse of what Franco has in store for future films, but by the same token there are several things about the film that might surprise longtime Franco viewers coming to the film for the first time. For the most part, the film is a comedy with much of the humor stemming from the bizarre situations the girls find themselves in on the road. The style of humor is very Spanish, absurd and with the girls stretching the truth during their memories, it often tips over into the surreal realm. A different kind of surrealism that Franco would become known for, but already his knack for going off on tangents makes itself known. Thanks to the rapport between the girls and their bubbly attitudes, Isana Medel being especially likable, Franco hits his comedic targets most of the time and while some of the tonal shifts might seem abrupt, when viewed as a whole, they actually enhance the film. The films centerpiece and perhaps the most jarring mood swing is an extended segue into horror where the girls find themselves having dinner in the castle of an ominous stranger. Just as Franco's surreal tendencies seem to already be in place, this lone episode proves Franco's skill for horror was there from the beginning.

It seems like a cruel destiny of sorts, but even with this, his very first feature, Franco would encounter some of the problems he would face an innumerable amount of times with future films. The first hurdle the film faced was actually getting released, sitting in distribution limbo for two years before an extremely limited release and later hitting Spanish VHS sometime in the 80's. The second and more perplexing problem Franco ran into regarding the film was the Spanish censor board cutting 10 minutes of the film during some fairly crucial moments that added weight to the films more dramatic side and the VHS release featured the shorter cut as well. It's interesting to note that around this time, difficult as it is to believe all things considered, Franco actually had a friend on the censor board, José Luis Dibildos, though he was ultimately of little help in saving the film from the cuts. Franco would later admit that before he left Spain to work aboard a few years down the line, he actually went to the chief censor and gave him a piece of his mind. Bi-polar as the film might seem in tone, Tenemos 18 años is a remarkably assured film for a debut feature and given that it marked the arrival of one of the most individualistic and prolific directors in the field, should be considered an important film.