Dolor y gloria

After having seen this film, I overheard the conversation of the couple next to me while the end credits rolled over the screen. 'So beautiful! And so much red!'. It was exactly what I was thinking. Red is the colour of this film. The scenes without anything red in it, are sparse. The abundance of the colour red proves how meticulously Pedro Almodovar has taken care of every small detail in this film. The result is a feast for the eyes. But the film is not only very stylish, it is also very emotional - as is often the case in Almodovar's work. The story is about a film director looking back on his work and his life, in which pain and glory each play a part. His life is miserable, his body is in pain and his career seems to be in decline. But when a film museum asks him to discuss a film he made 30 years ago, he learns to see things in a different perspective. He resolves a bitter conflict, meets a long lost former lover and reflects on the death of his mother. The themes are tied together by a clever script, with long flashbacks. It's interesting to know to what extend this story was inspired by Aldomovar's own life and career. When an acclaimed film maker makes a film about an acclaimed film maker, this is an inevitable question. The imaginary masterpiece from 30 years ago, with a poster showing a tongue sensually licking the lips, could very well have been one of Almodovar's own exuberant movies from his early period. Some typical Almodovar-themes are present in this film, like the mother-son relation, and the catholic faith. Also, the two leads, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, are present in the casts of several of his films. In every aspect, this is a quintessential Almodovar movie.

A filmmaker (Antonio Banderas) deals with physical and mental ailments as he approaches old age, settling in to a sad kind of torpor as he reflects on life. People have come and gone and the real pain here seems to be quiet melancholy of regret, his body's (significant) issues notwithstanding. The film meanders a bit and suffers at times with pacing, but through his reflections and flashbacks, it tells a touching story about coming to peace with those we've known in life.

There's the filmmaker's mother (Penélope Cruz), who sent him to a seminary for most of his schooling because she had no money for a secular education, which led to him not learning much. In old age she dies alone in a hospital instead of in her home village, where he had promised to take her. (Oddly, the actor playing the elderly mother, Julieta Serrano, has blue eyes whereas Cruz's are brown, which was a little jarring to me). These are the things that swirl around in his mind as he still grieves over losing her.

There is also the actor from one of his popular films (Asier Etxeandia), who he had a falling out with decades ago, but who he reconnects with and is then introduced to heroin by. He casually tries it and then alarmingly we see him quickly hooked, which makes for what seemed like one of the longer subplots, which I wasn't all that interested in. There is an old lover who surfaces (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a man who disappeared out of his life and is now married with children, and the scene the two share is full of authenticity and warmth. He also recalls a time in childhood when he tutored a handyman for payment of services to his mother, and felt the first flush of desire when he saw him bathing.

I think Almodóvar was wise to draw a line at this last character not physically meeting him decades later, as it gave the film realism and a wistful bit of sentimentality. True to form, he also gives the viewer an explosion of primary colors, and there is certainly a lot of beauty on the screen. That kitchen, especially with its bold red cabinets, made me wonder if such a space would be too loud to live in, but later I read that it was modeled on Almodóvar's own home. I also loved the little touch of the Cruz's character and her friends breaking in to a light song while washing their clothes in the river. Nothing "big" happens here, but in its quiet way, it reflects the director, and his pain and glory in life.

The story about the artistic crisis and depression. Once the noise of the glory goes away, there's nothing but emptiness and pain inside. Almodóvar has created this autobiographical masterpiece during his darkest and the most lonely moments in his life. It's different from everything that the genius had shared with the world before. Feeling of loneliness and pain in every scene, that makes a glory so unimportant and empty, when you have no one to share it with. The director made the audience hold the breath while he was speaking and sharing his most intimate secrets, his memories and regrets about the past.

Endless respect for Almodóvar for making this autobiographical movie so personal and sincere.

It deals with an aging director called Salvador Mallo in the twilight if his long career : Antonio Banderas/Pedro Almodovar , suffering chronical illness . The mature Salvador has seeen better days and he self-medicates between his continuous depression . Along the way , he reminds his mother : Penelope Cruz , his absent father : Raúl Arevalo , his sweet childhood in a village , his first crush on an adolescent , their home at a cave , the search for cinematic hits and happiness and several others incidents .

Typical Almodovar film with biographic remarks concerning a filmmaker , Almodovar alter-ego, who suffers ordinary pain and a mental blockade who impedes to write and shot movies . These incoveniences reflect on his life , as he reminds his past life , loves , shooting and finds old friends and a previous lover . At last , he has a reborn , and a creative salvation outbursts in the way of a self-biographic storyline . The plot happens between these two subplots , his childhood along with his mom : Peneope Cruz/Julieta Serrano and the longest : adulthood period in which Banderas/Almodovar has relations with other roles as Nora Navas playing his friend/helper , the stage actor played Asier Etxeandia , an ex-lover performed by Leonardo Sbaraglia , and a doctor interpreted by Pedro Casablanc. The magnificent cast give very good interpretations , Antonio Banderas is sensational imitating gestures , grimace and visage of Pedro Almodovar himself. And other actors as Etxeandia , Julieta Serrano as the aging mother , Cecilia Roth, Susi Sanchez , Cesar Vicente , Julian López , all of them deliver nice acting . And brief appearance by the great musical star Rosalía. Special mention for the colorful and evocative cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine, Almodovar's regular . Being filmed on location in Paterna, Valencia, Aranjuez and Madrid . It contains adequate but sad musical score by Alberto Iglesias who has composed several soundtracks in Almodovar films . And , of course , adding Chavela Vargas' songs .

The motion picture was well directed by Pedro Almodovar in his usual style , being produced by his brother Agustín who appears in a cameo, as usual, and financed by their Production Company " El Deseo" . Being nominated for 2 Acaddemy Awards , another 68 wins and 161 nominations . This new Almodovar realization got success enough at boxoffice . Almodovar is deemed to be one of the best Spanish filmmakers. He has got a lot of hits with his dramas , such as : " Talk to her" , "Volver" , "The Flower of my Secret", "The Sin I live in" , "Abrazos Rotos" , "Carne Trémula" , "Tacones Lejanos", "Matador" , "Que he hecho para merecer esto" . But Almodovar also has made comedies as " Women on the Edge of Breakdown", "Kika" , "I am so excited" and "Pepi, Lucía and Boom" , among others . Rating 6.5/ 10. The picture will appeal to Pedro Almodovar enthusiasts .

It is a slow film, similar to life. I really enjoyed this movie, no one is clear what it is about until about and hour in. In simple terms is is film director who had lost his mojo because of the death of his mother and a back operations. He also begins to look back on his career and pivotal moments in his childhood. The flashback shots are perfectly and wonderfully capture the atmosphere of his young life while seamlessly interwoven with moments of present day.

Pain and glory is painful and glorious, as you'd except from a director who lives, suffers, enjoys and jogs his memory to find the small and grand moments of his human existence.

The acting of everyone was brilliant but limited so no Oscar here, Almodovar and Banderas are such a good match, the boy and the painter is such a delicate combination & the mother and the son in different moments of their lives, but mainly in the end, when they are both old. the dialogues are very meaningful, but movie as a whole had some profundity and was ravishingly shot as usual.