Look, Pedro Almodovar doesn’t make bad movies. If you have any doubt, just look at the screenshot I’m running with this review: think about that framing, that lighting, that reflection. Think about how much it tells, how much it suggests, and how much it makes you want – have – need to know.
Almodovar thinks about every act, every scene, every frame. He puts so much into every aspect of Broken Embraces that we, the audience, dine on a feast of many treasures. We can enjoy it visually; we can think about how the music deepens and broadens the story; we can lose ourselves in that story; or we can simply fall in love with the characters. A ticket to an Almodovar film is an invitation to another world, and the world of Broken Embraces fascinates, delights, troubles, entrances.
Here’s the part where I normally tease you into the story, just to help you get a sense of whether you’d find it interesting. I’m not going to do that here, because I went into the film cold. I knew nothing about it other than Almodovar’s name, and I enjoyed orienting myself to its tableau, figuring out the relationships as they changed and evolved for myself. I’ll just stop here, sharing with you that if you want to see how mature, character-based, contemporary filmmaking is done right, Almodovar is your man and Broken Embraces is your film. Enjoy.
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