I didn't exactly outline a thesis when I set about this project, but my goals were probably to become a more learned film-lover and to discover new films to love. So far all of the movies have helped to satisfy the former, but not all of them the latter. With Almodóvar, I can say without hesitation that I have found new films to love.
Why have I not seen these movies before? I feel like my friends, my university, and everyone else I can point a finger at has let me down in a tremendous way (except Dusty and Lizzie, who unabashedly love this man). Going into the month of May I had seen two Almodóvar films: Dark Habits (thanks Dusty) and the recent body horror/thriller The Skin I Live In. Seeing Dark Habits first was probably a mistake, because while the movie is fun, it is also campy and not altogether great. I should have had that impression washed away, however, by The Skin I Live In which I loved to pieces. Shame on me for not touting that one to all of my horror movie friends. Anyways, for whatever reason those are the only two films of his I'd ever seen and they aren't very indicative of the rest of his body of work. For this month, I chose five films: Bad Education, Talk to Her, Volver, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and All About My Mother.
Wow. Wowie. Wowza. How much praise can I heap unto these films before my hyperbole destroys the credibility of my reviews? Well, I can't help it. Pedro has done something incredible with his body of work. He tells colorful stories imbibed with a sense of magical realism, and yet the characters are grounded and three-dimensional. He tells stories about people, and it doesn't matter their gender, sexual orientation, age, or socio-economic class. He happens to be touted (rightfully) for telling amazing stories about women and members of the LGBT community, but he never calls attention to their minority status or in any way comes off as preachy. And yet how can you not praise the man for giving voices to all of these characters who are so often-relegated to minor or stereotypical roles? You have to praise him, but at the same time you hardly notice because the characters don't draw attention to themselves in that way. They are just a part of the story, and the stories are complex and engaging. There are passions, violence, romance, revenge, addiction, seduction, ghosts, harassment, murder, food, and family dramas! The stories are like novels, stuffed to the brim with characters whose journeys are filled with twists and turns that are exciting but not implausible. And it all feels so perfectly Spanish! The settings, the language, the food, the culture, the colors... and the compositions are stunning, worthy of being framed. And these films don't shy away from the inherent darkness present in families, in societies, and in Spain. These are often disturbing, traumatic films. And so I love them even more.
I am so happy to have discovered this body of work, and sad that it took me this long to do so. I won't get into the details of each film, they demand to be watched and in my case, re-watched. I will say that Bad Education and Volver particularly tickled my fancy, but even Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (which I enjoyed the least of the group) was great. There were no misses.
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) - 8
- All About My Mother (1999) - 9
- Talk to Her (2002) - 9.5
- Bad Education (2004) - 10
- Volver (2006) - 10
I need to say two more things, here in the space usually reserved for a short note about who's up next. One, I just realized that he made those four movies in a row in a 7-year span, and that's frankly unbelievable to me. I would put that up there against any four movies that a director has made in a row as the best 4-in-a-row streak of all time.* And two, I can't express how happy I am that these movies are so much fun to watch! A lot of directors and movies that are well-regarded are also very inaccessible. That's not a knock on them, necessarily- not all movies should be popcorn flicks. Some movies are convoluted, dry, meandering, abstract, absurd, or otherwise not-easy to watch and that suits their purposes and intentions. But these Almodóvar movies are doubly impressive to me that they can be artsy and enjoyable (popcorn-y even) movies at the very same time. Bravo!
Up next is Truffaut!
*Other than Coppola with Godfather, Conversation, Godfather II, and Apocalypse Now. Can't forget about those four. Whoops.
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