Broken Embraces

Release Year: 2009

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Review: There are elements in 'Broken Embraces' which are interesting, but there is a good deal more which doesn't work.  Pedro Almodóvar's newest film is a frustratingly tantalizing, but ultimately flawed melodrama about a former filmmaker dealing with his past life.  The plot is rich enough, and yet the story never grabs hold.

The interesting parts of the film never quite delivered.  You have a film film director, who at the height of his career goes blind. This is something which could be quite profound to explore.  However, we see very little of this pain, this struggle with the loss of such an important sense is largely glossed over.  We see that he hides behind an alter ego. And yet this escapism, which strikes an universal chord, is largely ignored. Its just left to sit there as if it were an afterthought.  Almodovar seems content to just fixate on mundane plot points which only serve to disengage from what does work.

There were an abundance of awkward plot points, which seemed completely unnecessarily.  Rather than furthering the narrative or elevating emotion, they just distract.  Every time there is some momentum built, and I start to get sucked in, I'm pulled out by a needless plot point that didn't fit.  Tying this odd muddled mood together is an atrocious score. I'm not one that normally notices the score, but in this case it stood out, cheapening the entire feel of the movie.  It was a bizarre experience, getting flashes of brilliance and then settling back into a run of the mill spanish soap opera that would have felt at home running in the afternoon on Univision.

It is a shame there is so much that did not work in this film.  There were some moving scenes, helmed by Penelope Cruz, the films saving grace. Her scenes bring to light what this entire movie could have been. While it had all the parts to be a great film, it falters due to flimsy execution.
Rating: 2.5/5

Award Consideration: The main award category for this film will be best supporting actress for Penelope Cruz.  I was thinking it might sneak in with a best foreign language film award, but it appears Spain nominated a different film, so it has no shot.  Can't say I blame them too much.

Cruz has a shot, since she seems to be an Oscar favorite.  I don't think she will end up winning, but it'd be nice to see her on the list since she definitely made this movie what it was.