Tengo ganas de ti

Tengo ganas de ti is a 2012 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Fernando González Molina. It is based on the novel of the same name by Federico Moccia and serves as a sequel to the 2010 film I Want You. The film stars Mario Casas and Clara Lago, reprising their roles as Hache and Gin from the previous film.

The story picks up three years later, with Hache returning to Madrid after spending several years in Shanghai. Now a young executive, he is focused on furthering his career but still feels haunted by his past relationship with Gin, which ended abruptly when he left for China. By chance, he runs into Gin on the street one day and learns that she has just broken up with her boyfriend. This encounter reignites old feelings between the two, complicated by the fact that Gin is now dating Hache's childhood friend Pollo.

As Hache and Gin reconnect, we see flashbacks to their earlier romance and learn more about what drove them apart. Though both have moved on, the passion and connection they once shared is still palpable. They confess they never stopped loving one another, but struggle to reconcile their desire to be together again with their new lives and relationships.

Ultimately, Gin must choose between the stability of Pollo and the exhilarating but mercurial Hache. Meanwhile, Hache grapples with his own self-destructive tendencies and his fear of commitment. The two still have an undeniable bond, and we wonder whether this time, love will be enough to overcome the obstacles life has placed between them.

The film's narrative delicately weaves the present with the past, using flashbacks to reveal more about Hache and Gin's first romance. We come to understand the intense connection they forged as young lovers in Madrid, full of spontaneity and joy but also volatility. Their attraction was so powerful it frightened them at times.

Casas and Lago have effortless chemistry, portraying both the playfulness and passion of young love. The film authentically captures the thrills of first love and the angst of separation. Yet it also explores love's maturity, as Hache and Gin reflect on who they have become.

María Valverde joins the cast as Nat, Hache's alluring coworker in Shanghai who helps him move on from Gin but still arouses jealousy when they reunite. The love triangle intensifies the film's central conflict, as Hache struggles to reconcile his lingering feelings for Gin and his new relationship with Nat.

Shot on location in Madrid, Shanghai, and Bangkok, the film's backdrop underscores the characters' search for direction. The cosmopolitan settings provide a sense of motion and change, as Gin and Hache try to recapture what they had in different places and stages of life.

Tengo ganas de ti is an affecting, passionate portrait of young love and the search for identity. It captures both the wonder and fragility of romance, while offering hope that some connections cannot be severed by time or distance. Fans of melodramatic romances and the original film will find this sequel satisfies.