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.

FOUR MEMORABLE STORIES FROM "FOUR ROOMS" -

Now this is an interesting project. It’s one of those things you wish you had thought of yourself, you know? I’ll give you the tagline for the film: “Twelve outrageous guests. Four scandalous requests. And one lone bellhop, on his first day on the job, who's in for the wildest New Year's Eve of his life.” Set in a hotel, an old rambling hotel – so down on its luck that the entire staff is down to just the manager and the bellhop – four rooms tells the story of, well you got it… Four rooms. Now, each “room” is directed by a different director and is about 20 – odd minutes long. The writer /directors are Allison Anderson, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.
Ted the bellhop (Tim Roth) is stuck at work on New Year’s Eve. The hotel isn’t exactly what you might call full, but there are quite a few guests (twelve in total) knocking around… They are possibly the last handful of guests the hotel may have, so he runs hither and thither to assist and serve… However, not everything will quite go his way… There is a group of very strange ladies (among whom we can spy Madonna) gathering in the honeymoon suite. A rather rowdy couple in 409 who will prove more trouble than they first seem to be. A gangster (Antonio Banderas) and his wife who desperately need a babysitter for their two rather spoilt children will squarely land on Ted in 309 and just as he is ready to pack the whole thing in and leave, the famous film star in the penthouse (ironically played by Tarantino himself) rings with a rather bizarre list of requests.
Now, I love the idea of this film – and it’s really funny in bits, especially the Rodriguez and Tarantino segments (the gangster and the star in the penthouse. By the way, don’t you love the way Tarantino casts himself in his earlier films? Does anyone know why he stopped doing that?) . But, without presuming to be an expert, I may well have done a few things differently. For instance, the four stories DO NOT interact at all if you don’t count Ted. Except once – and even that was, I felt, a slight push. I kind of like the Balzac approach, you know, he will be talking about a character in a novel and just then another character from another novel will come walking by… Not necessarily for any reason in the plot, just as a cameo as it were. They could at least have done that in my opinion – this result is just too cut off… Tim Roth is VERY good to give him his due. However, there were times where I could swear that he was just trying to be Basil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers and only just failing (you’ve heard of Basil Fawlty right? John Cleese’s character from the British sitcom? Oh never mind, just click here) Thirdly, well, not all the stories were, in my view, that interesting. I mean, the first one is well and good; but I wouldn’t have persisted with the rest if I didn’t know that a Tarantino performance was coming up in the end… However, persist I did, and ended up positively howling with laughter in bits and remembering why it was that I adored Mr. Tarantino. I have also developed a healthy interest in Mr. Rodriguez and will proceed to dig a film of his out of my “to watch” pile for next week… You’re going to have to be patient for that one though ;)