Pedro Almodóvar's individualistic film-making style is on full display in this florid 2004 melodrama, but oddly, the heart that propelled the wonderful "Talk to Her" seems to be missing. What results is a rather disappointing addition to the otherwise humanistic Almodóvar canon, a classic case of style over substance. The convoluted plot begins in the present with an apparent flashback about an episode in the past, then presents that story as a film within the film, and finally the two parallel stories become a hybrid that seems to pay tribute to forties Hollywood film noir.
The focal character is Enrique, a young and successful director who is searching for inspiration for his next production. He receives a visit from an old school friend, Ignacio, who provides it with a short story he brings with him called "The Visit". Based on their childhood, it involves Ignacio being sexually abused by a priest at the school they attended together. Indeed, he permitted the abuse in order to get Enrique out of some trouble. Lurid melodrama, as only Almodóvar can serve up, ensues, and an imagined reunion occurs between the abusive priest and the two childhood friends and first-loves. Spinning off Enrique's film-set, the director deftly switches narrative voices to make the abuser the victim, and the moral ambiguity of the central characters becomes heightened. Despite the audacious creativity behind the change in perspective and some strong acting, the problem with this approach is that one ends up not feeling much sympathy for any character in the film.
In a dramatic turnabout from his comparatively stoic Ché Guevara in "The Motorcycle Diaries", Gael Garcia Bernal effectively goes for the audacious in playing Juan/Angel, the homme fatal and struggling, petulant actor, as well as the blonde, sultry Zahara, a transvestite and cabaret singer. But even his efforts are not enough to offset the endless layering of the stories and imagined histories that continue to redirect the story ad nauseum. It's too bad since the basic story feels like Almodóvar's most autobiographical film, moving as it does from a Catholic school in 1960s Spain to liberated 1980s Madrid, a period and setting with which the director is personally intimate. He also seems to be making a statement about recent scandals in the Catholic Church where they have willingly turned a blind eye to crimes of abuse against helpless children.
Ultimately, the movie is about his love of depicting erotic role-playing more than anything else and how reality and fiction merge. You will see traces of Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and "Marnie" and Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" in the labyrinthine of identities taken on by the characters. The film, nonetheless, falls short of these classics as Almodóvar takes on more than he is willing to commit emotionally leaving the viewer with a rather cold feeling at the end. Granted it has all of the director's omnipresent visual flair, including the striking opening titles and the Bernard Herrmann-like music (courtesy of Alberto Iglesias), this is a disappointment for all the talent involved. The 2005 DVD has quite a few extras starting with an informative and very engaging commentary track from Almodóvar. Two deleted scenes (without subtitles) are included, a total of five minutes, as well as a minute-long behind-the-scenes montage and footage from the red carpet at the AFI Film Festival. There is also an extensive photo gallery and several trailers for the film.
The focal character is Enrique, a young and successful director who is searching for inspiration for his next production. He receives a visit from an old school friend, Ignacio, who provides it with a short story he brings with him called "The Visit". Based on their childhood, it involves Ignacio being sexually abused by a priest at the school they attended together. Indeed, he permitted the abuse in order to get Enrique out of some trouble. Lurid melodrama, as only Almodóvar can serve up, ensues, and an imagined reunion occurs between the abusive priest and the two childhood friends and first-loves. Spinning off Enrique's film-set, the director deftly switches narrative voices to make the abuser the victim, and the moral ambiguity of the central characters becomes heightened. Despite the audacious creativity behind the change in perspective and some strong acting, the problem with this approach is that one ends up not feeling much sympathy for any character in the film.
In a dramatic turnabout from his comparatively stoic Ché Guevara in "The Motorcycle Diaries", Gael Garcia Bernal effectively goes for the audacious in playing Juan/Angel, the homme fatal and struggling, petulant actor, as well as the blonde, sultry Zahara, a transvestite and cabaret singer. But even his efforts are not enough to offset the endless layering of the stories and imagined histories that continue to redirect the story ad nauseum. It's too bad since the basic story feels like Almodóvar's most autobiographical film, moving as it does from a Catholic school in 1960s Spain to liberated 1980s Madrid, a period and setting with which the director is personally intimate. He also seems to be making a statement about recent scandals in the Catholic Church where they have willingly turned a blind eye to crimes of abuse against helpless children.
Ultimately, the movie is about his love of depicting erotic role-playing more than anything else and how reality and fiction merge. You will see traces of Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and "Marnie" and Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" in the labyrinthine of identities taken on by the characters. The film, nonetheless, falls short of these classics as Almodóvar takes on more than he is willing to commit emotionally leaving the viewer with a rather cold feeling at the end. Granted it has all of the director's omnipresent visual flair, including the striking opening titles and the Bernard Herrmann-like music (courtesy of Alberto Iglesias), this is a disappointment for all the talent involved. The 2005 DVD has quite a few extras starting with an informative and very engaging commentary track from Almodóvar. Two deleted scenes (without subtitles) are included, a total of five minutes, as well as a minute-long behind-the-scenes montage and footage from the red carpet at the AFI Film Festival. There is also an extensive photo gallery and several trailers for the film.