Rich Wright Pedro Almodovar is always a director who you can rely on to provide you with a visually striking and original movie, and this is no exception. What is a surprise, is how laid back and contemplative it is compared to most of his previous body of work. Sure, there are some shock scenes and a few saucy moments with Penelope Cruz baring all for the umpteenth time. For the most part though, this thoughtful meditation on a man's doomed romance and his efforts to form something from the ashes years later is a much more sedate affair than his back catalogue may suggest.This is not in any way a criticism, though... his trademark expertise at spinning a complicated and engrossing tale against the backdrop of a diverse range of characters is still intact. He easily juggles multitudes of flashbacks, contrasting them with the present day and reveals secrets and ambitions unrealised which can finally be put to rest. It's a optimistic outlook, and one which is about a 180* turn from say, Requiem For A Dream. Still, We've all gotta have some sunshine in our lives at some point, right? Highly recommended. 7/10

Desertman84 Broken Embraces is a Spanish romantic thriller that features an ensemble cast consisting of many Pedro Almodóvar regulars such as Lluís Homar,who portrays as the blind screenwriter from Madrid called Harry Caine,who recalls his tragic love for Lena.She is played by Penélope Cruz, the deceased lead actress in his last directional feature Girls and Suitcases, who was also the mistress of a powerful, obsessive businessman. Blanca Portillo co-stars as his agent Judit.Also included in the cast is Tamar Novas,who portrays her son and Caine's co-writer Diego. The film is written, produced, and directed by Almodóvar.Harry Caine is the name Mateo Blanco takes after being blinded in an automobile accident.As Blanco, he directed a film named "Girls and Suitcases." It was produced by a man named Ernesto Martel. Harry/Mateo hates Martel for reasons that will be explored.One day Caine is visited by Ray X,who despises the memory of his father and wants to enlist him, now a famous writer, to do the screenplay. Perhaps Ray X has hidden reasons for contacting him.Guarding Caine in his blindness is Judit, who was his trusted aide when he could see and has now become indispensable. It is clear, although she has never revealed it to him, that she loves him. We sense her feelings go beyond love, however, into realms he doesn't guess. Years ago, when Martel and Blanco/Caine were preparing "Girls and Suitcases," the producer hired his mistress Lena as his assistant. In the time-honored tradition of such arrangements, in particular when the woman has been a prostitute, a producer will allow such a person to audition, and so Martel arranges for Lena to audition for a role in the new picture. But the director falls in love with her during the screen test.Martel is enraged as only a rich middle-aged man who has purchased love can be. He sics his son on them. Yes, the future Ray X follows them with his camera like a nerdy fan boy. That it's unwholesome to spy on the behavior of your father's mistress goes without saying; can the boy be blamed of growing up to hate Martel? His videos are screened for the father, who combines jealousy with voyeurism, a common enough mixture.The movie is a lush, deeply romantic noir dense with nods to films past, yet it plays as if it sprung fully formed from the director's unconscious. It centers on the making of a movie—of two movies, actually, a feature and a behind-the-scenes documentary. The story is a conventional tragic love triangle. But that frame—with its echoes, parallels—is the true story. While it may not be Almodóvar's greatest work, it still stands well above most other films in terms of intrigue, intelligence and innovation.

leplatypus Coming from me, it's not a congratulation. As Allen, I think that Almodovar is a highly overrated director that is praised for his touch, his universe whereas his movies are tedious, boring, dull and above all, it's a cinema about high society empty of any social consciousness and famous for his beautiful actresses.Here, he deals with two of the worst themes that I can't stand when I watch a movie: first, it's about a movie production so it's the ground zero of filmmaking , the empty void of imagination. The director has just to put his camera and says that's my story! With the extra, you can see that the "imagined" director acts similarly as Almodavar himself.Next, it happens among the mighty: the jealous boyfriend is a very rich business man who has tied with the politics! This confirms Almodovar's lack of imagination as such a background is totally unbelievable or at least uninteresting. Who cares about their "f…ing" lives? Do they really think it's entertainment for us? Do they really want to show us what's they can do with power and money: well, I see that they mistake sexual harassment for love but it's not news anymore… And for those who thinks that Almdovar shoots hymns to women, I find that he only sees them as object, to be grasp and embrace like the movie's title!What's left? A cute Penélope whose effort to looks like the late Audrey Hepburn is successful. Few inspired cameras movement that reminds me of David Lynch as Almodovar plays with projected images. The movie is full of colors, makes a trip to Lanzarote but it's not enough. In conclusion, I notice that this movie is from 2009 at a time when Almodovar's country was in crisis with high level of unemployment, rise of poverty and contesting. To shoot such a movie when his fellows suffer is stupidity or provocation and surely a sign of decadent artist! It's like everything crumbles around him and he doesn't seem to care. A recommendation: Pedro, look at your people and you will find inspiration!

Turfseer For me, an Almodovar film is always a mixed bag. Broken Embraces is no exception. On the plus side, you have the consistently excellent dialogue that always features interesting information. For example, at the beginning of the film, Harry Caine (formerly Mateo) with his agent and former lover, Judit, discuss adapting a true-life story about playwright Arthur Miller, who placed his mentally handicapped child in an institution. There's another scene where Harry and Diego come up with a clever idea for a new screenplay—a group of vampires who work at a blood bank. The whole idea is very creative but it goes on too long (like so many other aspects of Almodovar's scenes); and when the two add in all the sexual jokes, I just wondered, is all this necessary?Some internet posters felt that Diego's accidental overdose was an unnecessary scene which added little to the overall plot. It did go on a bit too long but obviously served as a device to introduce the series of flashbacks which Harry relates to Diego as he tells the story of his affair with Lena. For awhile, Almodovar emulates Hitchcock, and it appears that Broken Embraces is headed for neo-noir territory. Almodovar introduces us to the enigmatic Ray X, Ernesto Martel's insecure gay son, who trails Lena and Mateo around with his camcorder while they conduct their furtive affair during the filming of Mateo's new comedy 'Chicas y Maletas'. And then there's another unique character, Lola, the lip reader who Martel hires to try and deduce what Lena and Mateo are up to.Despite the unique setup and characters, Almodovar is unable to sustain the suspense which we would expect from a film which is modeled on Hitchcock. In a scene straight out of the 1945 tear-jerker, Leave Her to Heaven, Martel, consumed with jealousy, (and channeling Gene Tierney), pushes Lena down the stairs. The film virtually grinds to a halt after Lena and Mateo decide to flee from Madrid and Lena takes a job at a tourist hotel. Almodovar does answer one of the central questions of the film—how did Harry end up going blind? I suppose it's best that he doesn't have Martel take revenge on Harry by blinding him. It's fate that ends up doing Harry in—a chance car accident that takes his eyesight and kills Lena at the same time. Ernesto does take his revenge by cutting up 'Chicas y Maletas'.If the car accident seems anti-climactic, the film's denouement appears even more so. Judit confesses first that Harry is Diego's father. She further confesses that she accepted money from Martel in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of Lena and Mateo while they were on the run back in 1994. This allowed Ernesto Jr. to film Mateo and Lena's last kiss before the unfortunate car accident. Judit makes it clear however, that Junior had nothing to do with the car accident—that it was simply a matter of fate. Fortunately, she saved the original takes of 'Chicas y Maletas' and Mateo and Diego get to work on re-editing the 'masterpiece'. Even better, Harry decides to dispense with his Harry altar ego and goes back to being Mateo. In that respect, Mateo's character arc is complete.The film could have ended right there but no Almodovar has to show us scenes from the re-cut 'Chicas y Maletas'. And no, unfortunately, it's not the comic masterpiece, he would like his audience to think it is! It's just another example of Almodovar's tendency toward overkill in his overall approach toward film making.Broken Embraces features rich cinematography with a plethora of arresting images. You also cannot go wrong with the actors here from Lluis Homar's low key but intense Harry and the over the top but thoroughly enjoyable Penelope Cruz. With some judicious editing (particularly with the final film within a film), Broken Embraces could have been a much better film. With Almodovar, too much of a good thing is not always good.