Broken Embraces

johnny_ultimate

Anyone else seen Almodovar's latest yet? Personally I felt it was a considerable disappointment. While Pedro's mix of melodrama, visual whimsy and dark comedy is usually worth a watch, here it all just seems a little silly and excessive. The story is too much of a soap opera to ever really feel engaging, despite a teasing and intriguing first half hour or so. But most of all this just feels like a self-indulgent love letter to Penelope Cruz, and the story of a film director falling in love with his muse (yes, Cruz) isn't entirely subtle, even for a director who usually isn't in the slightest bit subtle. Since Cruz and Almodovar will never get together in reality due to the director's sexuality, making such a cinematic fantasy instead seems very peculiar. Some may call this a study of the affect of a muse on an artist, but the less than well disguised parallels to the actor and director's real-life situation make the film seem quite arrogant and self-centered.

Pedro Almodovar definitely has a strong collection of films under his belt (Tie Me Up Tie Me Down and All About My Mother are two fine films in particular) but Broken Embraces feels like a collection of the director's worst excesses, and while it is still well directed and performed (I may not be as obsessed with Penelope Cruz as her director is, but she is one of the most reliable actresses out there) it definitely comes across as messy, silly and indulgent. The other thematic focus of

a film director going blind

is far more interesting, but feels overwhelmed by the OTT character drama going on around it.

OutlawPete

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Anyone else seen Almodovar's latest yet? Personally I felt it was a considerable disappointment.
.

The movie has fantasic acting and it's wonderfully shot but I have never seen such crap in all my life. I was furious about half way through and when it as over I wanted to get the director and screenwriter and do some serious damage to them.

I am not kidding.

The film is shot in a way that makes it feel like a thriller or a Hitchcock film for NO reason. There is nothing to be revealed other than elements of the story that you can see coming from a mile off and then when they are revealed thre's a big HOOO HAAA about it???

It's as if Hicthcock came back and directed a Fellini movie.

Honestly, watching it made me want to scream out loud. Usually I would walk out if a movie was crap (like Dance Flick) but I stuck it out as I was sure there must be an amazing ending that would make the whole movie have some kind of meaning - it didn't.

The ending made the whole 'Bobby in the shower' one seem like Oscar winning stuff.

Penelope Cruz was good though

Driver 8

Eh....it was relatively well constructed and mostly well acted, but the whole thing just felt so slight and underdeveloped plotwise (and predictable) that it just ended up feeling like two hours of a particularly well budgted Spanish soap. Not a patch on Volver, to say nothing of his other work.

Surly

Agreed.

I'd like to add that the film they were making (Chicas y maletas) looked like a complete load of shyte.

johnny_ultimate

Surly wrote: »

Agreed.

I'd like to add that the film they were making (Chicas y maletas) looked like a complete load of shyte.

Indeed it did. Not sure what they all thought was 'hilarious' about it.
Just in general a bit of a shambles of a film, which is apt considering the failed premier of the in-film film.

Motorbreath

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Indeed it did. Not sure what they all thought was 'hilarious' about it.
Just in general a bit of a shambles of a film, which is apt considering the failed premier of the in-film film.

The Girls and Suitcases film being made in the film is a send up to Almodovar's previous Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. There's plenty of parrallels and in-jokes related to the film. For those who haven't seen it, it's easy to be confused and/or unimpressed by the extended 'scene' taken from Girls and Suitcases at the end of Broken Embraces.

More on topic however, I agree with the comments about the film implying there was some great suspenseful horror type action or plot happening on scene when it wasn't all that dramatic at all (save perhaps

Cruz's stairs fall

) Whilst everything looked pretty it was certainly lacking a certain something. Also it was a slight note more serious than some of Almodovar's most popular past work. That lacking of a certain quirkiness may lead to some disappointment.

bnt

Just seen this at the IFi: I thought it was pretty good, with some subtle moments to go with the not-so-subtle. That opening scene makes more sense once you learn what happened to Mateo/Harry earlier in his life, but you have to wonder what Judit must have thought about it ...