Almodovar’s Latest Breaks Critical Embrace

I think it goes without saying that Pedro Almodovar has become one of the leading auteur directors of his generation. Each successive film is greeted with high anticipation and expectations of the quality that we have come to associate with his name. This is even more the case when the film in question features his frequent muse, Penelope Cruz. Three years have passed since their last collaboration (2006’s wonderful Volver) so the release of Broken Embraces has been cause for both celebration and anticipation.

I cannot claim to be an Almodovar expert or even one of his greatest fans so I can’t really say where Broken Embraces falls within the ranks of his entire career, but of his recent films from the past decade it unfortunately ranks close to the bottom. Now, don’t get me wrong – saying this is like saying a bowl of ice cream has some faults but it’s still pretty damn enjoyable despite them.

Broken Embraces (or Los abrazos rotos) takes us into the twisted lives of a blind filmmaker, his trusty production manager and her son, and a rich businessman who’s stunning, younger wife yearns to be an actress. The film opens in the present day as vivacious screenwriter and former director Harry Caine (Lluis Homar) learns of the death of Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez), a wealthy and powerful man in Madrid where most of the story’s action takes place. Harry initially brushes off the news but it is clear very early on that a connection to Martel exists and doesn’t necessarily include happy memories. Not long after hearing of the death, a mysterious young man (Ruben Ochandiano) shows up at Harry’s door wanting to make a film with the visually impaired artist despite his own lack of experience. We soon learn along with Harry that this mysterious young man is the son of Ernesto Martel and it triggers a series of flashbacks that make up the rest of the movie and take us back to the mid-90s when Harry still had his sight and was involved with Martel’s beautiful wife, Lena (Cruz) on the set of their movie Girls and Suitcases.

The relationships play out in a sort of tragic fashion mixed ever so carefully with Almodovar’s patented brand of humor. He even uses a musical score that hearkens back to Hollywood noir films of the 40s and 50s in a way that leads you to believe that the whole thing is meant to be satirical and unfortunately that’s where it starts to fall apart. Satire is fantastic and for most of the movie is played out excellently with a wonderful soap opera-esque and pulp feel, but in the film’s final act things take a turn for the serious and the work as a whole succumbs to an identity crisis. It suddenly became unclear if this was a drama, a comedy, or a genuine “feel-good” type of movie and as a result it lost most of its steam when it should have been picking it up.

The loss of momentum and uncertainty of tone only accentuated the fact that the film is a bit longer than it should be with a few spots that are blatantly dull. Broken Embraces is therefore a film about brilliant moments rather than being a completely satisfying whole. There are scenes and touches of undeniable charm along with fantastic character moments from both Cruz and Blanca Portillo as Harry’s loyal production manager and former lover. I can also not say enough about the wonderfully vibrant cinematography. The color red has never shined so brightly or looked so good and definitely plays a significant role in the film’s theme that will likely only be enhanced by repeat viewings. I’m not enamored with the film enough right now to take that closer look to see what Almodovar potentially hid under the surface but his most rabid fans will likely be pleased. I think I’ll just wait and see if he does better next time.

Grade: B