A Flor do Meu Segredo

In a very short period of time I've seen several of Pedro Almodóvar's movies and I've become a fan of his work. I love his style of mixing drama with (sometimes absurd) humor and music. I like the fact that he always knows to make you feel as if you know the characters personally after seeing the movie... Having said this, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by "La flor de mi secreto".

The characters aren't as well developed as I'm used to see in his movies and it's sometimes very hard to care for his main character: Leo Macías (Marisa Paredes). As Amanda Gris (her pseudonym), she is a writer of very successful sentimental novels who deal about love, sex and happy endings. But her personal life is a complete mess. She doesn't want to write this kind of novels anymore and she gets an assignment from a magazine to write a review on the work of... Amanda Gris. Her relationship with her man isn't any good. He works for the Nato, is more abroad than at home and when he's at home he wants to leave as soon as possible. She drinks too much, her mother is a cause of many concerns... She wants to change her whole life, but it isn't as easy as she hoped it would be.

Even though the story isn't bad or boring, it doesn't really succeed to be as captivating as I would like it to be. The positive thing about this movie is that you already can see Almodovár's talent for the use of humor and music, great camera work, interesting story telling... sipping through. Things that became more obvious in his later work. This movie may not be the best example of his work, but it is worth a watch. I give it a 6/10.

Flor is one of Pedro's understated best. The incomparable Marisa Paredes gives this film its ultimate power. Her extraordinary face details every nuance of the loss of her marriage--"abandonment," as Sr. Almodovar labels it. The rich flamenco scenes reframe the passion and pain Marisa's character moves through during the film. And as nearly always, Sr. A. pays homage here to other works that have informed his vision--a barrage of brilliant and troubled women writers (Djuna Barnes, Dorothy Parker, Carson McCullers, et al.), and "Casablanca" and "Rich and Famous," for instance. I thank God for Pedro. Without him, life would be as the lyrics of the Bola de Nieve song in this film--"no me dejes vivir."

An intense drama about love , jealous and betrayal. It deals with Leocadia, Marisa Paredes , a mature writer of romantic fiction who hits crisis point when she is rejected by her husband , Imanol Arias , and is then trapped by her reputation when she attempts to expand her literary horizons. Along the way she is supported by Angel : Juan Echanove , editor of the Newspaper El País. Later on, Leo returns to her native village, a source of solace.

This is an intimate portrait of pain and regeneration that strikes the heart without tricks. Here Pedro Almodovar focuses on a single character , the challenge of dealing closely an individual role has reconnected him with the emocional realities of an everyday damaged life. Although there are various secondaries incidents as the constant bickering between the mother : Chus Lampreave and Leo's sister Rossy De Palma, both of whom Almodovar's regulars, as well as a trip home to her native La Mancha, birth's location Almodovar himself. Here Pedro observes the commitment that permeates family relationships detailed with great honesty , perceptiveness and the habitual incisive humor, being freely based on a short novel written by Dorothy Parker. Main star Marisa Paredes gives a nice acting as the upsettling writer suffering loneliness , irritation , professional frustation and deceiving. Being well accompanied by ordinary actors of the Almodovar Factory displaying top-notch interpretations, such as Rossy De Palma , Chus Lampreave, Kiti Manver along with others as Juan Echanove , Imanol Arias , Jordi Molla, Nancho Novo, Carmen Elías, Gloria Muñoz, Juan Jose Otegui .Adding spectacular Flamenco dances by Joaquín Cortes and , of course , wonderful songs by Chavela Vargas .

Furthermore, colorful and glamorous cinematography by Alfonso Beato and Alfredo Mayo. Along with adequate and sensitive musical score by Alberto Iglesias. The picture was well made by Pedro Almodovar in his peculiar style, directing a especial melodrama, including his personal touches. Almodovar directs throughout with splendid zip and he often portrays strong female characters and getting a long career achieving some international awards. His first film Pepi, Luci, Boom 1980 was made in 16mm and had certain success. In 1987 Pedro and his brother Agustin established his own production company El Deseo S. A., making various and very popular fims all around the world. Oscar-winning Almodovar made a lot of successes such as Labyrinth of Passions, Law of Desire, Matador, Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Bad Education, All about my Mother, Talk to her, Broken embraces, The Skin I live, I'm so excited and nowadays he goes on giving big hits on the internatinal screens. The Flower of my Secret rating 6.5/10. Decent melodrama, essential and fundamental seeing for Pedro Almodovar aficionados. Worthwhile watching.

"The Flower of My Secret" is from 1995, written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. It's not his best, but even a weaker Almodovar is better than just about anything out there.

The story begins strangely, with two youngish men, doctors, attempting to convince a woman to let her brain-dead son's organs be harvested. It turns out that it's some sort of training. Leo (Marisa Paredes) is waiting outside to ask her friend for help. She can't get her boots off and needs help.

Leo's husband is in the military. She is a writer, a famous one, though not under her own name. She uses the name Amanda Gris. She goes to see the editor of a newspaper and asks to do a literature section for him. After he reads her unpublished novel, he hires her to write a story about Amanda Gris. Later on, he tells her that a film is being made and the story is similar to the novel.

When Leo's husband Paco (Imanol Aris) shows up, it's obvious that though she has a great evening planned, he does not share her ardor. And he actually isn't on leave; he just has to leave, and he does. Leo is completely devastated.

This is a more serious Almodovar and, though Leo does have a nutty mother, a maid who dances, and the maid's son (a dancer/filmmaker), this isn't a film studded with Almodovar's usual assortment of eccentric characters and situations.

Almodovar ties up the theme with the training we see in the beginning -- acceptance and moving on. It's a lovely story of a woman unable to free herself from her life, in the same way she can't get those boots, but who ultimately breaks loose.

Though it doesn't quite succeed, "The Flower of My Secret" is worth seeing.

Sweet, and very well acted. This is much less wild and outrageous than earlier Almodovar, but compensates by having more real emotion. Still, this has two of his usual key elements -- dramatic use of intense color, and a melodramatic, almost soapy, story. It's clear he loves melodrama at the same time he gently pokes fun at it.

But in 'Flower of My Secret' the soap has more underpinnings in humanity, with subtler behavior and humor. Technically he gets even better with this film. It's beautiful, shot in a more subdued style than his earlier work. Not a great movie, but a good, entertaining, human one that paves the way to his later fully 'real' and moving masterpieces like 'Talk to Her'. Lovely performances.

There seem to be two distinct groups among Almodovar fans. Those who prefer his earlier, wilder, more genre busting work, and those who prefer his more recent, subtler films. I'm in the second group, but can completely understand those who feel differently. And where you fall on that scale is likely to have a big impact on your reaction to this film.