A STEP TO EUROPE : "BROKEN EMBRACES"

Yes I know collectively there has been rather a lot of Almodovar in the blog lately. But the thing is you see that I sometimes get “batch lots” of certain directors. If I’m not /don’t become a fan, this fact slips by unnoticed as far as the blog is concerned. If, however, like Almodovar, I “discover” them, well I want to share them with you. Hence they keep appearing on the blog. Now, these mixed bags sometimes spontaneously appear. It’s rather like opening the fridge, finding out that you have various odds and ends, you know, one celeriac, one carrot, two tomatoes… All perfectly good in themselves but you can’t make a dish with either. So you just blend them together and make vegetable soup. Occasionally the combinations get rather random. So I do realize that at a cartoon dog and one of the greatest Spanish directors do not exactly mix. But we can like them both for different reasons, right? Right. Moving on…
Matteo Blanco is a screenwriter and director, but he has been living as one of his “nom de plume”s, Harry Cane for many years now. He is comfortably between projects at the moment and is seriously contemplating writing a vampire film with Diego, the son of his agent and life-long friend Judith when he is made aware of the death of a prominent businessman. To Matteo / Harry this brings memories flooding back, and these memories are not exactly happy ones. As he shares his story with Diego we go back in time to say how and why Matteo decided to abandon his real name and become a character, why Harry is blind and why he is so struck by the death of a man who seemingly has nothing to do with him at all…
I was, just for a minute, tempted to put this with Dr. Zhivago from a couple of months back and make a “star-crossed lovers” week. As you can imagine, there is a love story involved. As is some of Almodovar’s favorite themes: jealousy, obsession, changing into someone else and of course cinema. And it is the great success of the director to be able to use these same themes over and over – often with the same actresses, we all know he has his “favorite” actresses in his films like all directors – and yet make a different combination, come out with a different point of view on it every single time. I guess it is because they are very basic human emotions and since they are all slightly different with everyone, it is possible to capture many different sides to them so long as you’re sensitive enough to see it. As it is, Broken Embraces combines just the right amounts of mystery and tragedy. Penelope Cruz is as brilliant as ever. And in this film we also see different sides to love. How it can turn into obsession and ruin lives, how, combined with mourning it can also change lives and live on – but in a different way. Like his themes, Almodovar is also consistent in his brilliance. Well worth watching…

A HINT OF LATIN - PEDRO ALMODOVAR - "VOLVER"

In hindsight, I like these two films together. Not just because both titles begin with the later “V” and are made up of single words either (although one is tempted to add on “V for Vendetta” as a third film and make this “V week” instead :D ) . I like it because Hitchcock and Almodovar are so different and yet both are so great in such different ways. This is a typical Almodovar film with passions (albeit of a different kind than usual) running high and pushing his characters to do extraordinary things; while Vertigo is a film shrouded in mystery and full of surprises of quite a different kind lurking behind every corner. The two styles are almost variations on a similar theme if you see what I mean. Ok you probably don’t, but if you think about it and watch these two films in quick succession believe me you will…
Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) and Soledad are two sisters from a small town. Although they both carry on their own separate adult lives in Madrid they have never lost touch with their friends back in their small hometown. Their rather senile old aunt also lives there; they visit regularly and listen to stories about how their long-dead mother helps her around the house. Funny thing is, the little town is most superstitious and it seems that most people believe that Irene, their mother, “takes care” of their old aunt. Well, imagine Soledad’s surprise when one day, soon after their old aunt’s death, her mother actually appears in her flat, claiming she is back because she has unfinished business to attend to. Soledad doesn’t quite know how to take this but one thing is very clear, the whole family has one heck of a lot of sorting out to do.
As happens some weeks, I was in two minds about putting this one in. But there were more reasons than one in its favor. First of all, no one can actually dispute the fact that Pedro Almodovar is a great director. Secondly, Vertigo (see above) and Volver share some themes – and I don’t just mean the things discussed at the beginning of this post. You may be surprised to hear this, but it is completely true. Both hint at the super-natural, both storylines include many secrets that are progressively revealed and although romantic love doesn’t enter Volver, love between mothers and daughters can be pretty darn strong too (believe me I know) I think I can let this one slip in. My “problem” with this film is that I feel that Almodovar, in a sense, “pushed it” ever so slightly. And in all honesty, I am not quite sure how I’m going to explain this without giving the end away. Ok, I mean, we all probably know that a shocking revelation is usually an integral part of any Almodovar film, but squeezing more than one into that, making one more dramatic than the other and to boot, not “showing” the second big revelation but just have characters talk about it (I mean I think it’s surplus to requirements in the first place) takes away from the potential of this film. But it’s still a good ‘un. Just not as good as it could be.

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "ATAME"

The name “Pedro Almodovar” goes hand in hand with the term “controversial” - even the most novice cinephile, I suspect, knows this already. Even so, as I start this week’s work on this rather unusual (to say the least) director, I feel the need to add a disclaimer. None of this guy’s work is for the faint of heart… And nothing, I mean nothing is sacred. Nevertheless, Almodovar starts small in this film. Atame is a psychological thriller, no doubt whatsoever on that count. But, when looked at up close, it is also a stinging criticism of the institution of marriage, or rather some marriages. Let’s take a look at the storyline first, shall we?
Ricky (a young and VERY dishy Antonio Banderas) has spent most of his life in homes and institutions, the latest and longest stretch being in a mental institution. However, years later the authorities are convinced that he is now cured, and turn him loose on society to build his own life. Ricky is quite clear in his mind what he must do: get married, find a job, have kids. He even knows who he’s going to marry; Marina, a porn actress with known drug connections who he idolizes. This may seem like a pipe-dream to most people, but for Ricky it is as real as the nose on his face. On his very first day out of the institution, he heads off to the studio, follows Marina home, steals a set of her house-keys, abducts her and explains that he has only done this so they could get to know each other better, after this, they will obviously get married. Marina struggles against this captivity as best she can but if Ricky is a very disturbed young man, stupid he most definitely is not. And then something funny begins to happen… The more time Marina spends with him, strangely and inexplicably, the more loveable Ricky begins to seem… Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship?
Ok, so, we all actually know marriages like this. One side may well be completely miserable with her lot on level, and yet it is as if they have been bound hand and foot; they cannot seem to be able to leave… Many excuses are found for the phenomenon, I am staying for the children’s sake, he/she loves me really… And yet the marriage may be closing in on one of the parties like a noose around their necks… Or, if love does actually exist in the relationship on some level, it could well be some kind of “Stockholm Syndrome”, born of spending so much time with your “captor”. This is a tough one to explain to the western world, but the further east you go, the commoner this way of thinking becomes. In all “macho” societies the woman is expected to marry. She is expected to take care of her husband and children. Socially speaking, there is no other way round it; living on your own, not marrying at all or just living together with someone is considered quite… Well… And so, women go into the marriages often “gagged and bound”.
Almodovar gives the feeling of slow suffocation with such great success that I personally had great trouble watching the film to the end. Every attempt at escape on Marina’s part is foreseen and blocked by Ricky; he is everywhere there really seems no escape from the man. And if you had any doubt at all about the true aim of the film, one iconic scene where the couple (for reasons you can watch the film and find out if you’re curious) have to change apartments and Ricky picks Marina, tied hand and foot and gagged too, up in his arms and carries her as if over the threshold, with the long ropes binding her trailing behind them like a bridal train, says it all… I think you should really grit your teeth and watch this one, even though you may have to pause and “catch your breath” a few times. It is a very, very intelligent film and very well done.

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "CARNE TREMULA"

Ok, confession time. I did not start viewing Mr. Almodovar’s works in an as prejudice-free a manner as I usually do. In fact, from the outset I was quite prepared to hate them. Why? Well, first and foremost I somehow got the impression that they were in fact mostly about sex. In fact, don’t ask me why, that they bordered on pornography. One thing has to be made clear of course, sex features greatly – and openly – in all of his works, but it is not as “seedy” – for lack of a better word – as I thought it would be. Far, far from it. It is there as a normal continuation of passion, it is well placed. And of course it isn’t the only “thing” in the story. And the films themselves are generally so good, so deeply emotional and just such good quality that it really doesn’t matter. I had previously watched two films by Almodovar. One was “All about my mother” – that one I liked – but the other one was Habla Con Ella which I distinctly disliked and I discarded the director’s entire body of work until “a later date”. Well, that date seems to have come and never before have I been more pleasantly surprised to be wrong… Well, how can one be when discovering one’s mistake opens up such wonderful worlds for one?
Victor is a young man in love. He has fallen in love with Elena, a young woman he has met (and, we learn made love to) in a nightclub. They make a date to meet again, Elena – who was completely drunk at the time – doesn’t even remember him, the “confusion” turns into a passionate argument, the neighbors call the police, a gun goes off wounding a police officer. Victor goes to jail, David, the wounded police officer (played by the ever excellent Javier Bardem)is left paralyzed from the waist down. However, the whole thing isn’t such a dismal tragedy as one may think, as Elena and David then fall in love and get married. Victor, in the meanwhile, gets out of jail and is not best pleased to hear how Elena’s story ended. Someone needs to pay for the six years of his life he lost… So starts the path to revenge… At least, that’s what the path starts out as. Where it will end however, is another story all together…
Carne Tremula – Live Flesh doesn’t exactly invoke feelings of “artistry” in one at the offset it is true. The name alone carries a sense of what to expect, the cover of the DVD or the poster of the film depending on where you’re viewing the film depicts naked bodies… And yet the film speaks of love, passion, obsession, jealousy all human emotions and the whole thing is done in a very human way, without “overdoing” anything. The story, full of curveballs and surprises as it may be is still believable. True, there are a few coincidences, and we all jump down the throats of coincidences don’t we, but really, even they are not out of place.
In this film, we see two things that a lot – if not all – Almodovar’s films seem to be about or at least contain on some level. First of all, as I said before, sex. Seasoned viewers will know that male nudity is to Almodovar what women’s feet are to Tarantino. And it is so tastefully done (and OK, the “subjects” are so well chosen =) ) that I really am not complaining. But the love-making scenes in Carne Tremula deserve to be mentioned if only for their sheer beauty. I mean, it is what it is, and it is passionate sex; however, Almodovar has also very successfully captured the sheer physical beauty of the act itself. And believe me although I appreciate a nude male body when I see one, I am not so easily impressed by sex scenes. Secondly, there is the matter of male obsession. Of course the parallelism between Atame and this film is as obvious as the nose on my face. But although they start out as looking similar, Ricky and Victor are two very different characters. While Ricky goes “straight for the jugular” as it were, Victor is more patient. He still loves Elena, resents her marriage and wants revenge enough to be able to work at it slowly, step by step. And Almodovar successfully keeps every step up his sleeve until the last minute, keeping us on edge right until the end… Leave your prejudices at the door and prepare for a rollercoaster of good art…

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "LA MALA EDUCATION"

By the time I got to Mala Education, thanks to the positive effects of Carne Tremula and Atame (see above) I was already very, VERY positively inclined towards Mr. Almodovar. After La Mala Education, I actually became a fan. This film has soared into my top ten of favorite films of all times, I was so bowled over by bits of it, I am very much afraid this humble review will not be able to do it justice. Be it the actual structure of the story, be it the beauty of the shots, be it the sheer level of emotion so successfully portrayed in the film, no matter which way you look at it I guarantee that you will find something to bowl you over in this one… (Good Heavens I haven’t gushed like this about a film in AGES!! I must be becoming jaded! :S )
Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) is a young and successful director. He is suffering from mild writers block and is searching, along with his production manager, for their next project. The search is proving unusually fruitless until an actor looking for work barges into the studio. Enrique is prepared to chuck him out but the young man (Gael Garcia Bernal) tells him his name. He is Ignacio Rodriguez, Enrique’s first love from back when they were in boarding school when they were very young. He is looking for work, but he has also brought Enrique an idea for a film; it is a story based on their childhood experiences. They are not all very happy memories. The whole experience bowls Enrique over, although it was many years ago, he has never quite forgotten Ignacio, the boarding school or the things that happened there. The trip down memory lane however, will lead to dark places and the revelation of secrets Enrique couldn’t have even dreamt of in his wildest imaginings…
I am chomping on the bit to tell you what happens next. Believe me. But the surprise factor is the whole point of this film, and it is the way the surprises slowly come to light, hinting at their existence first, then slowly unfurling that make this film such a beautiful work of art. Having a good story, we have often said, is the crux of making a good film. The way one actually tells the story however, is also important. And if one has a brilliant story that one is capable of telling in a beautiful way, well… One becomes as famous a director as Almodovar.
Male obsession is again at the forefront of this film. However, the consequences of the obsession are under the microscope for this performance. And the obsession is not quite the same as the one in the first two films we looked at. Ok, I think you all probably heard at some point that this film speaks of child-abuse. Putting two and two together you have probably figured out that the abuse took place in Ignacio and Enrique’s boarding school. However, the obsession of Father Manolo (the perpetrator of the abuse) has results that are longer lasting than any of us can imagine – and I don’t just mean to the abused, I’m talking about the people around the abused, the “outer ripples” of the pebble thrown in the water if you will. But it isn’t only negative feelings that live on. The young love between Enrique and Ignacio, we find, has lived on despite not being together for years. And while they are never able to actually speak of their love face to face again (I’ll let you watch the film and figure out what that means) they still communicate, and the way this emotion lives on is simply beautiful. The third thing Mr. Almodovar explores in this film is the lengths to which human beings are prepared to travel to get their desire. Some people will give up anything, change completely, do absolutely anything and stoop to any depth to get their heart’s desire, be it success or revenge. And even though they may seem monstrous in a way, if we look at them objectively, we can’t help but pity them. Especially if we see where and how this driving ambition was born.
I am sure you are as aware as I am of the parallel themes in Almodovar’s films. The truly astounding thing is that although similar themes exist, they are never “the same”. Each one is a variation, a beautiful variation on the same theme and a masterpiece in its own right. This film is a brilliant look into the human soul, warts and all. Don’t let the subject matter (child abuse) put you off watching it. It is harrowing and very much a part of the film but the whole thing is tasteful. And the consequences of such an act… Well that at least is something we owe the victims to open our eyes and look at, no?