Broken Embraces (2009)

Harry Caine, the blind alter ego of former film director Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar), retells the story of his one true love Lena (Penélope Cruz). Over 15 years ago Lena, a former high-life escort, manages to save her father by becoming the kept woman of rich businessman Ernesto Marcel (José Luis Gómez). Intent on following a film career Lena catches the opportunity to act in Blanco's last picture, a film produced by her sugar-daddy Marcel. Once feelings develop between Lena and Mateo emotions and lives tangle to deliver an true masterpiece episode of "The Bold and the Beautiful" (or a complete and utter disaster in artsy terms).As a form of revenge directed towards Mateo, who retreats with Lena to a hideout far from harm, Marcel decides to use his power to destroy Blanco's last picture by purposefully editing together a film consisting of the worst scenes and shots to churn out a real turd. This revelation actually brought me to think, that something similar must have happened to "Broken Embraces", a movie plodding at a snail's pace with side events seemingly attached to ruthlessly extend runtime and featuring some terrible performances, especially by Blanca Portillo (who plays Mateo's / Harry's agent) and Rubén Ochandiano. Almodovar however seems to be the main culprit, as even his muse Penelope Cruz comes out lifeless and bland.Nonetheless it seems that the failed movie was more a shove at some of Almodovar's previous movies (most specifically to ""Women at the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"), which apparently he holds in pretty low regard due to some pesky producer meddling. Admittedly not an Almodovar fan, seldom impressed by the sleazy soapiness of his pictures, I may not be the best audience to Almodovar's worst movie. A self-indulgent exercise rife with cinephile jabs (narcissitically mostly at himself) and Penelope Cruz pretending to be a bad actress, the story itself reeks of pretentious nonsense taken from a soap opera with refound sons, corny revelations, closet skeletons and forced drama, excruciatingly attempting to be pushed forward with some background music. All in all pretty shallow stuff with a twist of egomaniac, side order of neo-noir and an overdose of self-recycling from the much regarded Spanish director, which turns out to be a tiresome melodrama."Broken Embraces" does however offer a brief finale of respite, when Caine edits together his final movie "Chicks and Suitcases", where we manage to catch a brief snippet of the final product: a charming, slightly absurdist comedy with crisp dialogue. Was this an inside comment to "Broken Embraces" itself? That he wanted to do something better, but he unfortunately ended up with this unwatchable turd?Honestly - if the name of Almodovar not connected to this picture would this movie have ended up anywhere else than in oblivion, where it rightfully deserves to be?

Pedro Almodovar's latest, "Broken Embraces," is like a high-class telenovela for the art-house crowd.Its love triangle - involving a film director (Lluis Homar), his gorgeous lead actress (Penelope Cruz) and her elderly, abusive boyfriend (Jose Luis Gomez) who's financing the film on which they're working - spans the period from 1994 to 2008. In the present time, the financier, Ernesto Martel, has just died, while the director, Mateo Blanco, who has since become blind, has plans for writing another film. But what's become of Lena, the girl of both of their dreams, in the intervening years? Structurally, the movie divides its focus fairly evenly between the two time periods. The intricately plotted narrative unravels like a conventional mystery story, with clues being dropped in at key moments and character connections and motivations becoming ever more clearly defined as the movie goes on.This isn't prime Almodovar, by any means, but the customary florid melodrama, color-rich palette and elegant direction make it a worthy addition to the director's oeuvre.

TTechnically beautiful, and well acted by the leads (some of the supporting cast is less than stellar), but there's a bit too much in this film-noir/comedy/romantic tragedy that feels over- the-top, for it to be a great film. And the homages to Hitchcock, Sirk, Amodovar's younger self, etc. walk the line between amusing and distracting. That said, this did improve on a second viewing, and became a more emotional and satisfying experience. A now blind writer remembers his past as a director with a different name who had a great love affair with his leading lady (Penelope Cruz, beautiful and wonderful as always), much to the fury of her powerful, industrialist sugar-daddy. Never boring, often enthralling, but somehow ultimately just a tiny touch less than the sum of its parts.

I watched this film because I had seen All About My Mother four years ago and loved it. I was happy to see that Broken Embraces retains the vibrant cinematography with its rich array of primary colors and perspectives only a camera can provide. Broken Embraces, whose settings are less gritty than those of All About My Mother, is even more gorgeous to look at than its predecessor. Moreover, the memorable shots in Broken Embraces never feel gratuitous or self-indulgent, but always seem to enhance the emotion of the plot points. Broken Embraces' melodramatic plot, however, does not dig as deeply into its themes as All About My Mother does. Some themes reappear, such as coming to terms with a dark past, optimism during life's crises, art, and homosexuality (although this is only touched on in Broken Embraces). It also stays away from some of All About My Mother's darker subjects, such as AIDS, transvestitism, and the death of a son. Whereas the latter is a dark, evocative drama, the former is a film-noir thriller with Penelope Cruz as the quintessential femme fatale (there's even a "I knew she was trouble when she walked into my office" scene!). Ms. Cruz gives a lovely performance, but after seeing her play an HIV-positive pregnant nun in All About My Mother and a jilted maniac in Vicki Cristina Barcelona, I figured she could play a charming but troubled actress in her sleep. The other performances are quite good as well, particularly Lluis Homar as a gentle but passionate screenwriter who has lost his sight. Taken on its own, Broken Embraces is an entertaining, romantic, and cinematically stunning film. I intended this review for those who, like me, were looking for another All About My Mother. At the end of that film, I felt inspired by the beauty of the world around me and amazed that such a dark film left me feeling so optimistic. While I enjoyed Broken Embraces and did not feel like I'd wasted my time watching it, it did not provide as powerful an emotional experience as that of All About My Mother.