Los Abrozos Rotos is the latest film by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, considered to be one Spain's top directors. The best thing I can say for him is that many of his films feature Penelope Cruz, who I think is a terrific actress. On the other hand, many of his films feature gay or transsexual characters, and they (not gay or transsexual people, but his gay or transsexual characters) are usually very creepy.
Los Abrozos Rotos fits the mold of Almodovar's films: domestic drama with some comedy, to appeal to mainstream audiences, and plenty of symbolism and strangeness mixed in to appeal to his art house fans. It's the story of a blind writer who was once a famous film director who went by another name. The story tells of his affair with an actress in one of his films, who was the mistress of the film's producer, and the events leading to the tumultuous end of the affair, the cause of his blindness, and the resulting end of his film directing career.
I have seen many of Almodovar's films, always with great anticipation because of the glowing critical reviews. I inevitably come away with a sense of disappointment, as if the greatness of the movie is overshadowed by the supposed greatness of the director. Although the performances were terrific, and the story is nicely told in a series of flashbacks, it left me pretty flat.
Bottom line, 2 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment