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