★ 7 / 10
Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema
badelf
Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema In "Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar doesn't so much break new ground as he refines the soil…
Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema
In "Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar doesn't so much break new ground as he refines the soil he has long cultivated. Following masterworks like "Talk to Her" and "Volver," this film represents not a revolution but an elegant culmination of the Spanish auteur's preoccupations, filtered through a distinctly Hitchcockian lens.
The film unfolds as a complex origami of narrative, with time folding back upon itself to reveal the tragic love story between filmmaker Mateo Blanco and his muse Lena. Here, Almodóvar pays homage to Hitchcock's fascination with voyeurism, doomed romance, and the thin line between creation and destruction. The film's noir elements – jealousy, revenge, hidden identities – feel like deliberate nods to the Master of Suspense, yet remain unmistakably Almodóvarian in their execution.
At the center of this kaleidoscopic narrative stands Penélope Cruz, delivering a performance of remarkable complexity. As Lena, she exists simultaneously as object and subject, victim and agent of her own destiny. Cruz accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of projecting emotional transparency while maintaining an enigmatic core – we feel we know Lena intimately yet remain haunted by her fundamental unknowability. It's a testament to Cruz's evolution as an actress under Almodóvar's guidance.
The meta-cinematic aspects of "Broken Embraces" – the film-within-a-film, the exploration of directorial vision (and its literal loss), the power dynamics of the creative process – create a hall of mirrors where art and life endlessly reflect one another. Almodóvar seems to be commenting on his own relationship with cinema, suggesting that creation itself is a form of obsessive love.
Visually, the film showcases Almodóvar's mastery of color symbolism and compositional precision. Each frame feels deliberately constructed, with his signature vibrant palette serving narrative purpose rather than mere aesthetic pleasure. The contrast between the warm, sensual tones of the love affair and the cooler, more austere palette of the aftermath tells its own emotional story.
"Broken Embraces" may not represent a dramatic leap forward in Almodóvar's filmography, but it demonstrates something equally valuable: a master filmmaker confidently synthesizing his influences and obsessions into a work of surprising emotional resonance. Like Hitchcock's later films, it feels like the work of an artist less interested in shocking his audience than in revealing the profound mysteries that have always driven his creative vision.
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★ 9 / 10
The Last Kiss
claudio_carvalho
In 1992, in Madrid, the secretary and escort girl Lena (Penélope Cruz) becomes the mistress of the powerful entrepreneur Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) that…
In 1992, in Madrid, the secretary and escort girl Lena (Penélope Cruz) becomes the mistress of the powerful entrepreneur Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) that is her boss and takes care of her terminal father. In the present days, the blind screenwriter Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar) known by his code name Harry Caine meets a beautiful blonde (Kira Miró) on the street that offers to read the newspaper for him and tells that Ernesto Matel has died. Then his agent Judit García (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Tamar Novas) arrive and Harry promises to end the screenplay that he is writing until the end of the day. Judit leaves the apartment and Harry is visited by a man code named X-Ray (Rubén Ochandiano) that introduces himself as a filmmaker and asks Harry to write the screenplay of his documentary about his intolerant father. Harry recognizes him, refuses the request, sends him away and recalls the year of 1994, when he was casting for his film "Chicas Y Maletas" and met Lena. Sooner they fall in love for each other and Ernesto Martel, who was the producer, sends his homosexual son to prepare the behind scene and making off of the movie. With the support of a reader of lips, the jealous and obsessive Martel daily falls each step of Lena with tragic consequences for the couple of lovers.
"Los Abrazos Partidos" is another magnificent film of the talented Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who is among my favorite contemporary directors. The plot has a complex, but perfect screenplay with use of flashbacks with a marvelous development of the characters. Lluís Homar performs the lead character Mateo Blanco a.k.a. Harry Caine (a pun with hurricane) that uses two alternate names of Pedro Almodóvar and has a great performance. His erotic scene with the unknown and extremely gorgeous Kira Miró is astonishing. Penélope Cruz is stunning and has another top-notch performance directed by Almodóvar. The open conclusion is ironic after the remark of Mateo Blanco about "Chicas Y Maletas" and I liked it. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Abraços Partidos" ("Broken Hugs")
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Please let the director's link be fine! /browse-movies/Pedro%20Almod%C3%B3var Even without accents: /browse-movies/Pedro%20Almodovar