Flicked Off: 'Broken Embraces': "Desire Should Be Acknowledged as the Principal Means to a Better Society"
You know, I was writing a long thing today about the new Pedro Almodovar movie, trying to explain why you should go see it—and I was being fucking ponderous. So here is the short version. This is a gorgeous, wonderful movie, made by one of the few living masters of the form, starring unbelievably great actors. All of the reviews are talking about it as an homage to cinema, but that's boring. The important point is that there are at least six perfect Almodovar movies: Kika, The Flower of My Secret, All About my Mother, Talk to Her, Volver and now Broken Embraces. I am willing to hear arguments for there being more than six, but not fewer.
To prepare to see this movie, which you must—see it, I mean; no preparation necessary, really!—here is the only English-subtitled video online for the short film La concejala antropófaga that relates to the film-within-the-film, called Girls with Suitcases, in Broken Embraces. It was shot on the set-within-the-set of the film. The film-within-a-film stars Penelope Cruz, who stars in the film proper is a vain, petty woman who would like to be an actress; La concejala antropófaga, directed by Almodovar, was actually released under the name of the director character in Broken Embraces. (There is a better version, without subtitles.) COMPLICATED.
What else can I say? Almodovar's body of adult work is so good that I am finally working on properly learning Spanish so that I can watch it all without subtitles.
I'm really happy you listed Kika as great. I loved that one. I saw it at a press screening, and the reaction during the comical rape scene (!!) is one of the weirdest things I've ever heard.
Oh, Kika: I cried like a baby bear that had its bottle taken away!
That's sort of provocative. "Desire should be acknowledged as the principal means to a better society." And here all the time I thought it was compassion or something.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Atame! (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down) may not be his best work, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun.
And a wicked hot date movie.
Penelope Cruz makes me consider dropping everything and moving to Spain, Euro-mullets be damned!
A friend of mine met her the other night @ The Standard and said she is really nice!
Also 'Vicky, Christina…' made me fall in love with her.
Was just talking to a friend about that movie. It's one of the sexiest and most destructive love movies I've seen. Also, it makes Spain itself into even more of a myth than it already is (thanks to Hemingway, Garcia Lorca, etc.)
Talk to Her is not good. It is well-executed, but empty and pointless.
Whatever, bucko.
"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" was my gateway drug to Almodovar.
That movie made me gay.
re: Volver (and SPOILERS if you haven't seen it): I am the only person who saw this and thought for most of the movie that Carmen Maura was not actually supposed to be a ghost? I mean, I like it better the way I experienced it, but other people I know who saw it say they assumed from the moment she appeared that she was really alive.
Shit, I mean, I thought she was a ghost, but everyone else I know who saw it knew she wasn't.
I thought she was a ghost at first and then realized she wasn't sometime later. Didn't make the film any less awesome.
Excellent use of "fucking ponderous."
Agree!
La mala educacion: I'm sure there's a reason you left it off your list? It is also about cinema (at least ostensibly), it is also meta, and Garcia Bernal killed in it.
this one is my favorite too.
I'm surprised there's no earlier Almodovar on your list, Choire, but if you only consider his most recent phase capable of producing perfect films I'm really baffled by the exclusion of LA MALA EDUCACION. I'd personally add LAW OF DESIRE and WOMEN UNDER THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, too, though. THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is certainly a good movie, but "perfect" is stretching things a bit.
I reread your list, and, now that I see "Kika" included, I'm even more confused. An underrated movie, yes, but over LAW OF DESIRE or WOMEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE or even DARK HABITS or MATADOR? Yes, I know these things are all subjective, and we're clearly on the same page with the Almodovar love.
Once, when I lived in London, I took a Russian woman to see Talk to Her. It was our second or third date. She was young and pretty. I thought things were going well until she ran out of theatre in tears. So I never got to see the end.
And then there are the Almodóvar musical revalations: in Talk to Her, Cucurrucucu paloma, wept as much as sung by Caetano Veloso; in Bad Education, the eerie boy soprano rendition of Moon River; in Volver, the eponymous number sung by Estrella Morente. These are just a few.
Anyone who isn't moved by the title song in Volver is cold-hearted and probably not worth knowing.
HIGH HEELS
No argument from me on All About My Mother but Talk To Her left me cold.
And it may be the obvious choice but Women on The Verge.. is brilliant in a batty way. I was dating a Spanish girl when that came out who had never heard of Almodovar so I took her to see it. Always makes me think of her, she was batty too.
Haven't read the post yet but wow, her tits look really good there. Didn't even know she had tits.
oh man, dark habits's finale alone merits being on that list, and tacones lejanos is pure brainsparkle too; but for my money, my favorite almodovar, and probably one of the best gay films ever, is law of desire. the movie kicks off with a porny one shot sequence that is one of the sexiest things hes done
Law of Desire is fucking fabulous. and so is francesca neri in Live Flesh. SO THERE IS 8 PERFECT FILMS