2021 Cannes Marathon: Pain & Glory

 

(Winner of the Best Actor Prize to Antonio Banderas and Best Soundtrack Award to Alberto Iglesias at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival)

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Dolor y gloria (Pain and Glory) is the story of a filmmaker who reunites with old friends, family, and colleagues as he copes with a declining film career and ailing health. The film is a study of a man as he looks back at events from his life as well as the remaining years of his life. Starring Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, Cecilia Roth, and Penelope Cruz. Dolor y gloria is a majestically-rich and somber film from Pedro Almodovar.

The film revolves around a filmmaker at the twilight of his film career as he is coping with severe back pain as he learned that one of his older films has been restored where he reunites with an actor from that film while reflecting on his childhood. It’s a film that is a look into a man that is dealing with a lot as well as the fact that he is going through writer’s block, regrets, loss, and severe physical pain. Pedro Almodovar’s screenplay explores the life of filmmaker Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) as he receives word that one of his old films had been remastered and restored for a special screening where he bumps into an old friend who gives him the number and address of an actor from that film whom he hadn’t spoken to in more than 30 years. Upon his reunion with Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), the two discuss the past while Salvador tries heroin for the first time as it forces him to think about his time as a child (Asier Flores) where he and his mother Jacinta (Penelope Cruz) move into a cave house that his father bought.

It is where the young Salvador teaches a young laborer/draughtsman in Eduardo (Cesar Vicente) to read and write while he would later be sent to a school where he would learn a lot about art and cinema. Still, Salvador feels like he hasn’t done enough as it relates to his mother while he is also dealing with the severe physical pain that has him choking often at times where he uses heroin to cope with the pain. Another unlikely reunion in a former lover in Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia) would also force him to realize what is going on as he reflects on the last days with his mother (Julieta Serrano) before her passing while turning to his longtime assistant Mercedes (Nora Navas) for help as she believes something else isn’t right.

Almodovar’s direction does have its flair of style that he’s known for in his compositions yet it opens with Salvador in a pool as he’s underwater as it is this metaphorical image of a man that is believing he’s about to encounter his final days. Shot on location in Madrid as well as the province of Valencia with Paterna being a major location of the film as it plays into the life of the young Salvador. Almodovar’s compositions are largely straightforward yet he knows when to create something that is striking and evocative in a simple shot. Whether it’s in some of the wide shots of the Paterna exteriors or certain locations in Madrid to the more intimate shots at a small theater or Salvador’s apartment home with its medium shots and close-ups. Notably in the way he stages a one-man performance Alberto does where Federico watches as it play into this key moment for Salvador even though he doesn’t watch Alberto’s performance.

Almodovar’s direction would include these somber scenes that revolves around Salvador’s childhood that are presented with an intimacy in the cave home which is claustrophobic at times yet there is also a moment that also play into events that would affect Salvador’s sexuality as well his own sense of nostalgia as an adult. Almodovar would also infuse some voice-over narration from Salvador that includes an animation sequence by Juan Gatti that explores Salvador’s journey as a filmmaker and his fascination with science and geography that would inspire much of Salvador’s work. The film’s third act plays into Salvador’s faults as well as the realization that he’s been shielding himself from his past including his childhood along with his own desperation to rid the physical pain he’s enduring. Overall, Almodovar crafts an intoxicating and touching film about a filmmaker dealing with his past, regrets, and the twilight of his life and career.

Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine does brilliant work with the film’s lush and colorful cinematography with a naturalistic look for many of the film’s daytime scenes as well as the interior scenes at the cave-house along with some stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes set in Madrid. Editor Teresa Font does excellent work with the editing as it is stylized with its fast-cuts and montages for some parts while also being straightforward for much of the film in playing up the drama. Production designer Antxon Gomez, with set decorator Vicent Diaz and art director Maria Claria Notari, does amazing work with the look of the cave-house as well as Salvador’s apartment with so much attention to detail from his collection of paintings to his bedroom. Costume designer Paola Torres does fantastic work with the colorful clothes that the characters wear including a few stylish suits that Salvador wears to the ragged look of Alberto as well as the dresses the young Jacinta wears.

Makeup designer Ana Lozano does terrific work with the look of the characters from the bearded look of Salvador as well as the look of the older Jacinta. Sound designer Pelayo Gutierrez does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of some of the locations as well as how music is played on a boom box to maintain that sense of realism. The film’s music by Alberto Iglesias is incredible for its lush and rapturous orchestral score that play into some of the film’s melodrama as well as the air of nostalgia for the past as it is a major highlight of the film with a soundtrack that features folk and pop music of the time period that the characters live in.

The casting by Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from producer Augustin Almodovar as a priest, Luis Calero as the music teacher for young Salvador, the trio of Marisol Muriel, Paqui Horcajo, and the Spanish pop singer Rosalia as women washing clothes with the young Jacinta early in the film, Pedro Casablanc as Dr. Galindo who expresses concerns for Salvador’s health, Julian Lopez as a movie theater presenter wanting to interview Salvador and Alberto, Susi Sanchez as a family friend of Jacinta in Beata, Sara Sierra as a young village woman in Conchita, Raul Arevalo as Salvador’s father Venancio, and Cecilia Roth in a terrific one-scene performance as an old friend of Salvador in Zulema who gives him Alberto’s address.

Cesar Vicente is superb as a young laborer/painter in Eduardo whom the young Salvador teaches to read and writer as he is proven to be a gifted painter that helps the young Salvador and young Jacinta. Asier Flores is fantastic as the young Salvador as a young boy who is fascinated by cinema and books while is unsure about going to this prestigious school fearing he would never see his family again. Nora Navas is excellent as Salvador’s personal assistant Mercedes as a woman who is aware of Salvador’s ailing health and growing depression as she does what she can to help him but also aware of what is the cause of his physical pain. Penelope Cruz and Julieta Serrano are amazing in their respective performances as the younger and older versions of Salvador’s mother Jacinta with Cruz providing this sense of warmth expected in a maternal role but also frustrations over her new living situation and what her son wants. Serrano’s performance as the older version of Jacinta is more restrained as a woman just frustrated that she is on her way out as she also laments over Salvador’s choices in life and in his career while maintaining that maternal warmth.

Leonardo Sbaraglia is brilliant as an old lover of Salvador in Federico as a man from Salvador’s past who makes a brief visit to Madrid from Buenos Aires as he watches Alberto’s one-man show that prompts him to visit Salvador where they reminisce the past. Asier Etxeandia is incredible as Alberto Crespo as an actor who worked with Salvador in their greatest collaboration together as he hadn’t seen Alberto in more than 30 years where they re-establish their friendship and talk about past issues Etxeandia provides a charisma and charm to a man that is an admitted heroin addict but also a man of control. Finally, there’s Antonio Banderas in a tremendous performance as Salvador Mallo as a once-revered filmmaker who is at the twilight of his career as he deals with immense physical and emotional pain as he thinks about his past as well as the idea that he might not have much time left. Banderas also provides this physicality in the way he struggles in getting out of a car or to express the physical pain he’s in as it is this performance full of restraint and dark humor as he showcases a man struggling with himself as well as trying to find some hope in the end as it is a performance for the ages.

Dolor y gloria is a magnificent film from Pedro Almodovar featuring a phenomenal leading performance from Antonio Banderas. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, ravishing visuals, somber themes of nostalgia and uncertainty, and a luscious music score by Alberto Iglesias. The film isn’t just this fascinating story of an artist dealing with the possible end of his life and career but also reflecting on his roots and the events that shaped his life. In the end, Dolor y gloria is an outstanding film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited! - Julieta - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) – (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar: Pt. 1 Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2021

Dark Habits

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits) is the story about a cabaret singer who finds refuge in a convent filled with eccentric nuns. The film is an exploration into the world of the Catholic church as well as growing sense of moral bankruptcy that is emerging in Spain as it’s all presented in a satirical form. Starring Cristina Sanchez Pascual, Julietta Serrano, Carmen Maura, Chus Lampreave, Cecilia Roth, and Marisa Paredes. Entre tinieblas is a ravishing film from Pedro Almodovar.

The film is this very offbeat story about a cabaret singer who seeks refuge at a convent following the drug overdose death of her boyfriend. At this convent that is going through financial trouble, it is run by nuns who each carry bad habits as they try to help others redeem themselves while struggling with their own habits. Leading the pack is a Mother Superior (Julietta Serrano) who is a lesbian that likes to do cocaine and heroin as she lives in the convent with a chaplain (Manuel Zaro) who likes to sew elaborate robes with a nun named Sister Snake (Lina Canalejas). Other nuns include the neat-freak Sister Damned (Carmen Maura) who has a pet tiger, a former murderess who likes to cook and do LSD occasionally named Sister Manure (Marisa Paredes), and an aging nun named Sister Sewer Rat (Chus Lampreave) who secretly writes smutty novels. It’s all part of a world that is removed from society as these women try to maintain some semblance of faith in a changing world.

Pedro Almodovar’s screenplay doesn’t just explore a sense of moral bankruptcy in Spain but also a world where the Catholic Church seems to find ways to maintain some relevancy in a new world but there are those that prevent some nuns from trying to be a part of the new world. Mother Superior and her convent knows what is going on yet they’re dealing with their old General Mother Superior dying as well as the possible clothing of their own convent. By taking in the singer Yolanda (Christina Sanchez Pascual), it gives the nuns a chance to help someone yet Yolanda and the Mother Superior share an affinity for cocaine and heroin. One aspect of the script that serves as motivation for the nuns to try and save their convent involves dealing with their late benefactor’s wife (Mary Carrillo) who has no interest in saving the convent until Mother Superior would gain information about the woman’s late daughter that she would use as blackmail.

Almodovar’s direction has this air of style that recalls the works of such filmmakers as Robert Bresson, Luis Bunuel, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Federico Fellini, and Douglas Sirk in not just his approach to melodrama but also in the way he is willing to provoke ideas. Notably in the way he has the nuns behave in a casual manner that is very offbeat as well as create something that is akin to the melodramas of Sirk and Fassbinder. The direction also has Almodovar create some intoxicating imagery that is rich with dazzling colors and lighting schemes to play into this strange world the nuns live in that seems to reflect some of the craziness that goes on in Madrid. With its approach to tracking and dolly shots along with some high and low camera angles, there is a fluidity to what Almodovar wants to do as well as create something that is low-key yet sensationalistic in a climatic party that the nuns hold for Mother Superior that would have face her new superior. It would be a moment where the fate of Yolanda and the nuns would come into play as it would be told in the form of classic melodrama. Overall, Almodovar crafts an evocative and powerful film about a convent of nuns trying to find themselves in a new world.

Cinematographer Angel Luis Fernandez does phenomenal work with the film‘s gorgeous and colorful cinematography from the exotic vibrancy of many of the film‘s daytime interior scenes to some of the scenes set at night to play into the richness of the colors with additional help from some unique lighting schemes. Editor Jose Salcedo does amazing work with the film‘s editing with its use of jump-cuts, montages, and dissolves to play into a sense of style that has an element of surrealism in some parts of the film such as Sister Manure‘s acid trips. Production designers Roman Arango and Pin Morales, with set decorator Antonio Lopez, do fantastic work with set pieces from the look of the room that Yolanda stays in to the main hall of the convent as well as the decorations for the climatic party scene.

Costume designers Francis Montesinos and Teresa Nieto do brilliant work with the costumes from the look of the nun uniforms to the lavish robes that the Chaplain and Sister Snake create that Yolanda would wear. The sound work of Armin Fausten and Martin Muller is superb for the intimacy that occurs in the convent as well as the sense of vibrancy in the party scenes. The music by Cam Espana is wonderful for its mixture of somber orchestral pieces to the use of sentimental pop songs that Yolanda and the Mother Superior love.

The film’s cast includes some noteworthy small performances from Marisa Tejada as a drug dealing-friend of Mother Superior, Eva Siva as Sister Sewer Rat’s rich sister, Will More as Yolanda’s boyfriend at the beginning of the film, and Cecilia Roth as a former lover of Mother Superior who briefly returns due to trouble. Other notable small roles include Berta Riaza as the new General Mother Superior who appears late in the film, Mary Carrillo as the benefactor’s wife who isn’t interested in funding the convent, Manuel Zaro as the convent’s Chaplain who loves to sew and watch old films, and Lina Canalejas as Sister Snake who is a master at sewing as she tries to keep the peace within the convent.

Chus Lampreave is amazing as the very comical Sister Sewer Rat as this aging nun who tries to keep her secret writing life a secret while doing odd things. Carmen Maura is excellent as Sister Damned as this very eccentric neat-freak who likes to feed and play bongos to her pet tiger whom she refers to as her son. Cristina Sanchez Pascual is terrific as the very troubled cabaret singer Yolanda who deals with the death of her boyfriend as well as her addiction as she tries to find redemption. Marisa Paredes is brilliant as the very troubled Sister Manure as this very destructive woman who likes to walk barefoot on broken glass, cook, and drop acid as she is someone trying to atone for her own sins. Finally, there’s Julietta Serrano in a marvelous performance as the Mother Superior as this drug-taking lesbian who falls in love with Yolanda as she tries to help her as well as do whatever it takes to save her convent as it’s a pretty wild performance from the actress.

Entre tinieblas is a remarkable film from Pedro Almodovar that features brilliant performances from his group of regular actresses in Julietta Serrano, Marisa Parades, Chus Lampreave, and Carmen Maura. The film is definitely stylish in terms of its colorful imagery and set pieces as well as being provocative in the way it takes a few shots at religion and society. In the end, Entre tinieblas is a gorgeous and sensational film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited! - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

Labyrinth of Passion

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Laberinto de pasiones (Labyrinth of Passion) is the story about a nymphomaniac pop star who falls in love with a gay Middle-Eastern prince as they try to deal with their own issues. The film is another exploration into the world of homosexuality in Movida madrilena period of post-Franco Spain as it involves two people with different sexual preferences. Starring Cecilia Roth, Imanol Arias, Helga Line, Marta Fernandez Muro, and in his film debut, Antonio Banderas. Laberinto de pasiones is a whimsical but very messy film from Pedro Almodovar.

The film explores the world of a nymphomaniac pop star and a gay prince from a fictionalized Middle East country where he is now an exile. Especially as the latter is being pursued by Muslim students trying to get him back in the country as a prisoner as well as the prince’s step-mother who wants him to impregnate her. Meanwhile, the two protagonists in Sexila (Cecila Roth) and Prince Riza Niro (Imanol Arias) were former childhood friends who hadn’t seen each other in years as Sexila becomes tired of her nymphomania as she also deals with the estranged relationship she has with her frigid gynecologist father (Fernando Vivanco). With Riza disguising himself to become part of the Movida madrilena scene where he would become a singer for a new wave band, he and Sexila renew their lost friendship while Sexila helps another woman in Queti (Marta Fernandez Muro) in finding herself after having been raped by her own father (Luis Ciges).

It’s a story that has a lot happening in the film where at times, it can be exciting and thrilling but it’s also a very messy story. Much of it involves the schemes of Muslim students where one of them in Sadec (Antonio Banderas) has a heightened sense of smell as he’s in love with Riza while the Empress Toraya (Helga Line) is trying to pursue Riza as she is someone that Sexila loathes which dates back to her childhood friendship with Riza. Adding to this sense of chaos is Queti’s desire to find herself where she would eventually become Sexila’s doppelganger as the story becomes more bizarre. The numerous amount of storylines that would also involve Riza fronting a band, Queti’s desire to find love, Toraya and the Muslim students’ different pursuits of Riza, and Sexila trying to find love as well makes the story a bit overstuffed at times but also plodding in some respects as it relates to its pacing.

Pedro Almodovar’s direction has some very lively moments in not just some of the concerts and party scenes but also in the way he keeps things going with some unique tracking shots and some dazzling compositions. Especially in how he portrays the world of sexual identity and such to showcase that world of the Movida madrilena at its craziest but also at the sense of community it creates for aspiring musicians and artists. There’s also elements of melodrama that Almodovar infuses into the film as it relates to Sexila and Riza’s relationship that includes a flashback sequence of the two as children and what might’ve been the cause for their own issues. Some of these moments would be crucial to the main story but the different storylines that Almodovar creates would suffer the film in terms of pacing where it would become hard to keep up with at times. Overall, Almodovar makes a decent but very inconsequential film about a pop star and a gay prince’s renewed relationship.

Cinematographer Angel Luis Fernandez does nice work with the film‘s cinematography where it has a very colorful and vibrant look while displaying some grainy look in its camera. Editors Jose Salcedo, Pablo Perez Minguez, and Miguel Fernandez do terrific work with the editing where it plays into a sense of style with some jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play out some of its humor. Pedro Almodovar and co-production designer Andres Santana, with art director Virginia Rubio, do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the rehearsal spaces Sexila and Riza‘s different bands have as well as Sexila‘s home that is quite lavish to play into her personality.

Costume designers Alfred Caral and Marina Rodriguez do superb work with the costumes to play up the lavish look of the world the characters live in as well as the posh clothes of Toraya. Sound supervisors Armin Fausten and Martin Muller is excellent for the atmosphere of the concerts and parties as well as some of the moments of suspense. The film’s music by Bernardo Bonezzi and Fabio McNamara is fantastic as it’s a mixture of new wave and post-punk music with some disco as well as some classical pieces that emerges in the film.

The film’s cast includes some notable small roles from Agustin Almodovar as a Muslim student, Pedro Almodovar and Fabio McNamara as cabaret performers, Angel Alcazar as a dim-witted singer whom Riza replaced, Cristina Sanchez Pascual as that singer’s controlling girlfriend, Ofelia Angelica as Sexila’s shrink who wants to sleep with Sexila’s father, Luis Ciges as Queti’s very troubled and sexually-addicted father, Fernando Vivanco as Sexila’s very frigid and detached father whom Queti would fall for, and in his film debut, Antonio Banderas as a Muslim student who falls for Riza as he isn’t sure about capturing him for a large reward. Marta Fernandez Muro is pretty good as the sexually-confused Queti who idolizes Sexila as she later becomes her doppelganger.

Helga Line is wonderful as the Empress Toraya who pursues Riza for her own selfish reasons as she becomes the person that Sexila has to deal with. Imanol Arias is excellent as Prince Riza Niro as a gay man hiding from Muslim extremists and his stepmother while dealing with his own identity and what he wants to do with his life. Finally, there’s Cecilia Roth in a fantastic performance as Sexila as this very vibrant and crazy nymphomaniac who deals with her issues as well as trying to get her career as a pop singer going as she is one of the film’s highlights.

Laberinto de pasiones is a decent but very messy film from Pedro Almodovar. While it has a great cast and a fantastic soundtrack, it couldn’t overcome the numerous storylines and its pacing issues to keep the film to be very engaging. In the end, Laberinto de pasiones is a troubled and disappointing film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

Pepi, Luci, Bom

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Pepi, Luci, Bom, y otras chicas del monton (Pepi, Luci, Bom, and Other Girls on the Heap) is the story about the friendship of three different women who live very different lives as they try to help each other. The film marks the feature-film debut of Pedro Almodovar as it is all told in a comedic style that would become a definitive trademark of Almodovar’s early work. Starring Carmen Maura, Eva Siva, and Olvido “Alaska” Gara. Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton is a weird yet exciting film from Pedro Almodovar.

The film explores the lives of three different women in Madrid during the post-Franco La Movida Madrilena period in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The three women come together as part of a revenge scheme against an abusive police officer as they would later be part of a new and exciting world in Madrid where they delve into drugs and all sorts of excitement. What makes the film so unique are the different personalities of the women in the story. Pepi (Carmen Maura) is an independent woman who wants to become an artist as she grows marijuana plants in her apartment. Luci (Eva Siva) is the masochistic housewife of a corrupt policeman who enjoys beatings as she is seeking an escape from her dreary home life. Bom (Olvido “Alaska” Gara) is a young punk singer eager to make it as she falls for Luci where the two have a strange relationship.

Pedro Almodovar’s script is very loose where there isn’t much plot other than Pepi wanting to seek revenge on Luci’s husband (Felix Rotaeta) for raping her over her marijuana plants. Bom would help Pepi in the revenge scheme but things don’t go well over a case of mistaken identity as Luci becomes involved where her relationship with Bom becomes this unconventional masochistic relationship. In the course of the film, a lot of partying as well as Pepi getting a job in advertisement, after her father cuts her finances, would play into the lives of these women finding themselves as women and as individuals.

Almodovar’s direction is pretty loose as it’s shot on 16mm film blown-up into 35mm where it does have a unique style that recalls the style of John Cassavetes as well as the colorful look of Federico Fellini. That approach to loose filmmaking where it feels like it’s shot entirely in the urban areas of Madrid and in the actual city where it has a verite style in some respects but also an element of camp to play into this this very lively post-Franco period of Spain. The campiness just doesn’t play into some of the ideas that Pepi would create in the commercials but also in some of the misadventures the three women encounter. There’s also elements of very bawdy behavior and gross-out moments that is obviously inspired by John Waters as it plays to the masochistic relationship between Luci and Bom which amps up the film’s humor. Overall, Almodovar creates a very flourishing and lively film about three women living in a new world in post-Franco Spain.

Cinematographer Paco Femenia does nice work with the film‘s colorful yet grainy 16mm look of the film for much of its daytime and nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Jose Salcedo does excellent work with the editing by emphasizing on style with some jump-cuts and a few inter-title cards to play into the film‘s structure. Costume designer Manuela Camacho does fantastic work with the lavish look of the film to play into the women and the new world they‘re in as opposed to the more conservative look of Luci‘s husband.

The makeup work of Juan Farsac is wonderful as it plays into that lavish world the women are in. The sound work of Miguel Angel Polo is terrific for some of the sound effects that is created as well as some of the post-dubbing voices to play into its humor. The film’s music by Alaska y los Pegamoides is superb as it plays into that world of new wave and punk that often dominates the film along with some flamenco and classical music in the film.

The film’s cast would include and appearance from Almodovar as a host of a penis-erection contest along with other future Almodovar collaborators like Cecilia Roth as a commercial actress, Julietta Serrano as a theater actress dressed like Scarlett O’Hara, Kiti Manver as a singer/model the ladies meet late in the film, and Fabio McNamara as a transvestite named Roxy. Concha Gregori is terrific as Luci’s neighbor Charito who has feelings for Luci’s brother-in-law Juan whom she has never properly met while Felix Rotaeta is wonderfully slimy in a dual role as Luci’s very abusive husband and his very innocent twin brother.

Olvido “Alaska” Gara is excellent as the very abrasive yet determined punk singer Bom who falls for Luci while becoming unsure about the sadomasochistic relationship. Eva Siva is brilliant as the masochistic housewife Luci who finds pleasure in being beaten as she falls for Bom while being part of a new and vibrant world that she is unaware about. Finally, there’s Carmen Maura in a dazzling performance as Pepi as this very independent woman seeking to find herself in a new world she’s glad to be a part of while helping out her friends find their own direction as it’s truly a fun performance from Maura.

Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton is a stellar yet lively film from Pedro Almodovar. Thanks to its cast and campy presentation, it is a film that plays into that world of post-Franco Spain and the emergence of freedom that was emerging for all sorts of people. In the end, Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton is a dazzling film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

I'm So Excited!

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Los amantes pasajeros (I’m So Excited!) is about a group of passengers boarding a flight to Mexico where lots of mayhem ensues during the course of the flight. The film marks a return of sorts to the earlier comedies that Almodovar did in the early 80s after a near-long decade focusing on dramas and suspense films. Starring Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Duenos, Raul Arevalo, Blanca Suarez, and special appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. Los amantes pasajeros is a witty yet wild comedy from Pedro Almodovar.

The film revolves around a flight from Madrid to Mexico where something has gone wrong with the landing gear as the plane is looking for a place to land. With the economy class passengers all asleep due to the sedatives that are given, only the pilots, the first-class stewards, and a small number of first-class passengers are aware of the situation as they drink Valencia cocktails with mescaline, endure all sorts of craziness, and tell their own stories while being entertained by the stewards. It’s a film that plays into a world in which stewards, passengers, and pilots deal with themselves as they’re not sure if they will survive.

Pedro Almodovar’s screenplay explores the dynamics of these characters as it includes a bisexual pilot, his sexually-confused co-pilot, three gay stewards, an engaged couple, a TV actor, a famed erotic actress, a securities officer, a virginal psychic, and a bank manager dealing with the financial collapse of his own bank and an airport. All of them are all dealing with issues of their own as the story has a structure that plays into a span of few hours where the characters are dealing with situation about the plane. Some have to use the public phone to call loved ones while others finally face the truths of their own situations and why they’re fleeing to Mexico. It all plays to Almodovar’s approach to humor where these characters all try to handle the situation as everyone starts to loosen up and such while waiting to see where to land.

Almodovar’s direction is very stylized but also intimate as the film is mostly set in an airplane that includes a hilarious dance sequence to the title song by the Pointer Sisters. With some stylish compositions and the use of the widescreen, Almodovar gets the chance to create an intimacy while having the frame fill out inside the plane. Even as he incorporates many silly situations and dialogue about sex and such in the course of the film. While there’s some scenes outside of the plane that involves some minor characters related to the main characters, it would play to some of the drama as well as the humor. While the humor is subtle and the drama low-key, Almodovar still crafts a very entertaining comedy about life in an airplane.

Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine does fantastic work with the cinematography from the exteriors set in some of the locations to the more low-key yet colorful scenes inside the plane. Editor Jose Salcedo does excellent work with the editing to play up some of its humor as well as a few stylish jump-cuts for a sequence involving the Valencia cocktail. Production designer Antxon Gomez, with set decorator Maria Clara Notari and art director Federico Garcia Cambero, does amazing work with the look of the airplane from the look of the economy class to the more spacious look of the first class section.

Costume designers David Deflin and Tatiana Hernandez do fabulous work with the costumes from the colorful dresses the women wear to the steward uniforms. Visual effects supervisor Eduardo Diaz does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects that involve a few scenes shot outside of the airplane. Sound editor Pelayo Gutierrez does terrific work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of the plane including some of the sounds that occur inside. The film’s music by Alberto Iglesias is brilliant as it mostly an orchestral score that is playful at times but also quite somber while its soundtrack includes a rhythmic take on Fur Elise as well as a few pop tunes including the title song by Pointer Sisters.

The casting by Luis San Narciso is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz as two airport employees in the beginning of the film as well as Paz Vega as a mentally-ill lover of the TV actor, Blanca Suarez as a former flame of that actor, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Laya Marti as a newlywed couple, and Agustin Almodovar as an air traffic controller. Guillermo Toledo is excellent as the TV actor Ricardo Galan who is dealing with his own issues with a troubled girlfriend while Jose Maria Yazpik is superb as the security officer Infante who has a crush on the aging actress Norma Boss. Jose Luis Torrijo is terrific as the troubled Sr. Mas as a man trying to run from the law while admitting to his own personal issues.

Raul Alveros and Carlos Areces are hilarious in their respective roles as the gay stewards Ulloa and Fajardo as they bring a lot of camp to the film. Javier Camara is amazing as the lead steward Joserra as a man dealing with relationship issues with one of the co-pilots while trying to get everything under control. Antonio de la Torre and Hugo Silva are brilliant in their respective roles as the bisexual pilot Alex Acero and the sexually-confused co-pilot Benito. Lola Duenos is wonderful as the virginal psychic Bruna who says strange things and is eager to lose her virginity while Cecilia Roth is fabulous as Norma Boss as a former erotic film actress who has a hard time dealing with the chaos of the plane while revealing about her own secrets of her life.

Los amantes pasajeros is a very delightful film from Pedro Almodovar. While it’s a pretty light-hearted film that might be considered a minor film from the famed filmmaker. It’s still one that is full of joy and laughs while just playing around a bit without taking things to seriously with some help from his cast and crew. In the end, Los amantes pasajeros is a stellar yet exciting film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2013

All About My Mother

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/4/06.

Considered to be Spain's most celebrated director after the late Luis Bunuel, Pedro Almodovar is among one of cinema's most revered and controversial directors. Early films like Matador and La Ley del Deseo (Laws of Desire) reveals Almodovar's love of camp and melodrama. 1988's Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) gained him international attention for its mix of comedy and drama. While subsequent Almodovar films like Kika, Atame!, and Tacones Lejanos weren't up to par despite their campy irreverence, Almodovar was considered a fine director but not one many could take seriously. Then in 1999, the openly-gay director went on a more radical approach by going into a full-on drama about a mother trying to understand her son's death through other people in 1999's Todo Sobre mi Madre (All About My Mother).

Written and directed by Almodovar, Todo Sobre mi Madre is about a mother grieving for the death of her sons as she meets several people who are connected to her late son. Considered to be Almodovar's most mature and complex film at the time, it proved that Almodovar can tackle anything as he goes further into character and issues. Starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Pena, Antonia San Juan, Eloy Azorin, Toni Canto, Rosa Maria Sarda, and Penelope Cruz. Todo Sobre mi Madre is an entrancing, heartfelt masterpiece from Spain's most prolific and celebrated directors.

While working as a nurse in a hospital in Madrid, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is searching for donors by day. At night, she's a heartwarming mother to her son Esteban (Eloy Azorin) who is about to turn 17 the next day. On the night before his birthday, the two watched All About Eve starring Bette Davis where Esteban noticed the wrong translation of the title where it was called Eve Unveiled when it's correct Spanish translation is Todo Sobre Eve. Esteban is an aspiring writer who learned that his mother used to act when she was young in theater programs where she met his father whom he's never saw and wants to know about. After trying to get some information about her ex-husband in the hospital, Manuela decides to take her son to see the play A Streetcar Named Desire starring Huma Roja (Marisa Paredes) who plays Blanche. Hoping to have her autograph, Esteban and Manuela wait on a rainy night as they watch Huma and another actress go to a taxi where Esteban runs to the taxi hoping to get an autograph but the taxi leaves as Esteban runs to catch up only to be hit by a car.

Esteban is dead as Manuela is in grief only to be accompanied by a friend as she decides to give Esteban's heart to someone who needs it. Weeks after his death, Manuela decides to go travel to Barcelona to find Esteban's father who is now a drag queen named Lola (Toni Canto). Hoping to find her in the seedy, prostitution world of Barcelona, she finds a transsexual hooker she knows in Agrado whom she knows several ago. After saving Agrado (Antonia San Juan) from an assault, she is brought to her home in hoping to find Lola. Agrado reveals that Lola has made her broke by using the money to go to Argentina. Hoping to get a job, Manuela and Agrado turn to a young, charming nun named Sister Rosa (Penelope Cruz) who knows Lola. Rosa hopes to go to El Salvador to help people while she tries to get Manuela a job as a cook for her artist mother (Rosa Maria Sadra) and dementia father (Fernando Fernan Gomez) whom Rosa rarely sees. Manuela learns that a production of Streetcar is in Barcelona as she hopes to meet Huma only to find a haggard-looking Nina (Candela Pena), who plays Stella, walking away.

Huma wants to look for Nina as Manuela helps her where they find the drug-addicted Nina. The meeting with Huma gives Manuela a job as her personal assistant while Manuela learns that Rosa is pregnant with Lola's child. Taking her to the hospital, Rosa is three months pregnant and learns weeks later from a test, she is HIV-positive. Rosa wants to hide her pregnancy and disease from her mother, whom she often has tension with as Manuela lets her move into her apartment. When Nina is ill, Manuela takes over as Manuela makes a confession to Huma who remembers Esteban from that night. Huma makes a visit to Manuela's apartment where Manuela invites Agrado who takes over Manuela's assistance duties. Agrado's winning and charming personality wins Huma over as she watches out over Nina. With Rosa's child ready to come out, Rosa makes peace with her mother as Manuela finally meets Lola who now learns that he had a son. Manuela is forced to make decisions about her own life and who she wants to be in the life of Rosa's son.

Melodrama is often done with a lot of over-the-top theatrics in waves of emotions where sometimes they work and sometimes, they don't. While Almodovar brings a European restraint to that, he channels more towards American cinema. Notably the films of the 1950s like All About Eve and A Streetcar Named Desire while dedicating the film to Bette Davis, Gena Rowlands, French actress Romy Schneider, and his own mother, who died in the fall of 1999. The film is really about a woman in grief over her son's death and how she finds solace in other women she barely knows yet are connected in some ways to her son. It's really a film about motherhood considering that Rosa has tension with her own mother while Cecilia is in mourning while being a mother of sorts to Rosa and Agrado along with Huma who is trying to care of Nina. Almodovar's genius isn't just in his writing that sets up intricate points of the plot and multi-dimensional characters but also his observant yet theatrical approach to directing.

Almodovar as a writer is more concerned at what his characters are feeling and what they're going through rather than put them into some absurd situation. That's where his strength as a director is shown. His presentation is theatrical since he uses locations and settings for the characters to come together and talk to each other. While each character have their own individual moments for the audience to get to know them, it's when they're together that really let the audience be a part of whatever they're talking about. The way Almodovar moves his camera to observe what's going on while using the locations of Madrid and Barcelona to reveal the difference in the cities and culture. Even in the way Almodovar conveys melodrama, he's aware that he knows what the audience will expect yet the way he approaches the ending is something that is more hopeful and realistic that audiences can relate to.

Showcasing the colors of Spain with its vibrant colors is cinematographer Affonso Beato whose color schemes of red and yellow highlight the look of Madrid while showing more vibrant yet intimate settings in the film's interior sequences. Art director Antxon Gomez with set decorator Federico G. Cambero do wonderful work in the look of the stage with a blue background wall along with the Barcelona home of Manuela that is filled with color to complement Beato's camera work. Costume designers Sabine Daigeler and Jose Maria De Cossio also play to the film's vibrant colors by making great clothes in the casual look for Rosa, the red power-suits of Huma, the vibrancy of Agrado, and the casual yet classy wardrobe of Manuela. Longtime editor Jose Salcedo does some wonderful, tight editing to convey the energy of Manuela's journey while giving the long takes a rhythm and style to Almodovar's observant directing. Sound designer Miguel Rejas also does great work to convey the atmosphere of both Madrid and Barcelona to reveal the difference of culture.

Longtime composer Alberto Iglesias brings a wonderfully traditional, acoustic performance to the film with melodic, Spanish guitar music along with elements of orchestral arrangements to play the film's melodrama. Featuring songs from Dino Saluzzi, the soundtrack is rich in playing the emotions and sisterhood of the film.

The film's cast is indeed superb since Almodovar is great when working with ensembles. Smaller performances from Fernando Fernan Gomez as Rosa's father and Carlos Lozano as an actor named Mario who plays the Kowalski character in the Streetcar play are very memorable. Eloy Azorin is excellent as the ambitious yet heartwarming Esteban who brings a lot of talent into writing while being a good son to Manuela as his brief performance is memorable. Toni Canto is also great as Lola who only shows up late in the film in a couple of crucial scenes yet the performance that is filled with grief and regret is done with great compassion as Canto does some amazing work. Rosa Maria Sadra is wonderful as Rosa's strict, arty mother who is often concerned about her daughter's adventurous attitude as Sadra brings realism and compassion to the role. Candela Pena is really good as the haggard, diva-like Nina who prefers her own addiction to the motherly warmth of Huma as Pena brings an energetic performance.

Antonia San Juan is a real delight as the charming Agrado with her musings on her body, homosexuality, and existentialism while bringing a sense of comfort to Huma, Rosa, and Manuela. San Juan brings a lot of humor while having her own moment where her personality is something that the audience an enjoy. Marisa Paredes is great as the working actress Huma whose understanding of grief brings a sense of maternal compassion to the people around her while trying to take care of Nina. Paredes brings the right sense of warmth and wisdom of a working actress playing characters going through the same struggle. Penelope Cruz also brings a lot of warmth and spirit as the naive Rosa who believes that helping people would bring her fulfillment until she learns of her own cruel fate. Cruz brings the joy and optimism of a character whose fate is grim as Cruz warms every scene with a smile, even in some of the film's heartbreaking scenes.

Cecilia Roth gives one of the best performances of the 1990s as the grief-stricken Manuela. A longtime collaborator of Almodovar, Roth brings all of the emotions and sadness of a woman who has lost her son while trying to find her own footing without him. Roth has great chemistry with her fellow co-stars while proving her range as an actress in intimate settings with her co-stars while proving her theatrical range in the scenes when she acts in the theater. It’s a great performance from the multi-talented Roth who won the Best Actress prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival as well as several prizes in Europe.

When Todo Sobre mi Madre was released at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, the film proved to be a big hit as Almodovar won the Best Director prize though many thought he would win the Palme D'or but lost to the Dardenne Brothers' film Rosetta. Still, the international success of Almodovar's film brought him a bigger audience, especially in the U.S. where Almodovar won several critics prizes as well as Best Foreign Film prizes in the Golden Globes and the Oscar which he and brother Augustin received. Recently, with the upcoming release of Volver in 2006, Todo Sobre mi Madre was re-released along with seven other Almodovar films in a 2-week retrospective festival called Viva Pedro in the U.S.

While not as funny or extravagant as early Almodovar films, Todo Sobre mi Madre remains one of his best films. Thanks to a great cast led by Cecilia Roth with great support from Antonia San Juan, Marisa Paredes, and Penelope Cruz. This is a film that isn't just a film that women can enjoy but a film that is very accessible to a wide audience once they get pass some of the homosexual and transsexual content. In the end, not only is this film a great tribute to women and actress but also the cinema worldwide as Pedro Almodovar takes a great big step into greatness with the wonderful Todo Sobre mi Madre.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited! - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011