Pedro Almodóvar has a phrase that says "the movie theater is the refuge of the murderers and the lonely". It's hard to be sure about someone you don't know personally, but the director Almodóvar is a bit of both. At least figuratively speaking in the case of the expression "killer".
"Pain and Glory" (Dolor y Gloria, in the original), his new film is just a reaffirmation of this condition of Almodóvar's cinema. The Spanish director makes much of his filmography a therapy session in which he tries to deal with the past, exorcising his ghosts while displaying on the screen the loneliness of an alter-ego who, in contrast, lives in a house that for a while. It just seems full of life and color. The so characteristic colors of Almodóvar's cinema, which, as always, abuses the red tones and vibrant colors making each stage a work of art.
And how Almodovar had to deal with his ghosts again. After the faint comedy "Los Amantes pasajeros" (2013) and a "Julieta" who shared opinions, what you see in "Pain and Glory" may not be an Almodóvar in the lush form of "Hable con ella" (2002), "La mala educación" (2004) or "Volver" (2006), but is an Almodóvar who goes back to discussing the themes that permeate his cinema: the pains of the soul, the relationship with his mother, the influence of religious education, homosexuality and the discovery of it, the loves that come and go and the disappointments and marks that arise from it and the mismatches of life. Almodóvar's cinema is about people, it is about the conflicts of the soul, about what must be said to the other and the opportunities that are lost by not speaking and not allowing oneself to feel. It is, therefore, an investigation of the human soul and its subtleties driven by the lightness of the camera in contrast to the complex subjects it proposes to debate.
In "Pain and Glory" the text of Almodóvar is clear and straightforward. At 69, he seeks to reevaluate his relationship with his mother and when he exposes the dichotomy between the tribute and her exposure and the people around him as a source of inspiration for his characters. It is curious how in the movie the mother says she hates the way she and her village friends are portrayed in the main character's cinema, while he states that each line, each film is a tribute to who made him who he is.
In interviews, Almodóvar said that "Pain and Glory" is a film that represents him most intimately, although certain situations suffered by its protagonist, such as drug use and terrible pains are not true, but only poetic license for dramaturgical purposes.
"It's not my biography, but the movie that most closely represents me," said the director, making sure it's not as physically bad as the protagonist and never using drugs like the same.
To live this "worse" Almodóvar we have an António Banderas that we have not seen since "La piel que habito" (2011), one of his last great performances, precisely in a film by the Spanish filmmaker. In the shoes of fellow director and screenwriter Salvador Mallo, Banderas portrays Almodóvar's alter ego very well. Aged, full of physical and soul pain, with shaken or lost relationships for decades with different characters who have gone through his life and a fledgling drug problem, Banderas delivers one of his best performances emulating the director's soul. The Spanish actor seems to have been able to perfectly capture an Almodóvar persona with his silences, tired looks and hesitation in speech.
At the same time, Mallo wants to get back up, back in the limelight of the cinema. And the inspiration comes from the rich material that is your life and the life of the people around him. And that is what Almodóvar does. Using the examples of what he lived, he seeks to connect with his audience, who also live similar anxieties and desires. After all, living, like the title of your movie, is a frequent experience of pain and glory.
The film also features Penelope Cruz, who helps tell stories of a young Salvador who are also those of a young Almodóvar. There we see what we are used to seeing in different passages of the director's films. The economically difficult childhood, the study at the high school and the life for art that rescued him from those moments of poverty.
Extremely metalinguistic and full of reckoning with the past, perhaps "Pain and Glory" only sins because it is overly and so clearly autobiographical, which makes the experience of viewing the film with a sense of déjà vu and without a sign of freshness that accompany him. It's more of a therapy session than a movie and it has a more confessional and less creative text compared to what we used to see in the director's filmography.
But this is an absolutely personal point of view. And it doesn't make the movie experience bad. Far from it. "Pain and Glory" has its value and has a simply unmissable Antonio Banderas. Almodóvar's signature is also a guarantee of pleasure for his fans, who will not be disappointed. But I don't think it's a kind of movie that would generate new fans for the director.
In the final balance, "Pain and Glory" is like rediscovering an old friend whom one admires for delicacy, intelligence, insight and even imperfections. And an imperfect Almodóvar is still an above average Almodóvar.
"Pain and Glory" (Dolor y Gloria, in the original), his new film is just a reaffirmation of this condition of Almodóvar's cinema. The Spanish director makes much of his filmography a therapy session in which he tries to deal with the past, exorcising his ghosts while displaying on the screen the loneliness of an alter-ego who, in contrast, lives in a house that for a while. It just seems full of life and color. The so characteristic colors of Almodóvar's cinema, which, as always, abuses the red tones and vibrant colors making each stage a work of art.
And how Almodovar had to deal with his ghosts again. After the faint comedy "Los Amantes pasajeros" (2013) and a "Julieta" who shared opinions, what you see in "Pain and Glory" may not be an Almodóvar in the lush form of "Hable con ella" (2002), "La mala educación" (2004) or "Volver" (2006), but is an Almodóvar who goes back to discussing the themes that permeate his cinema: the pains of the soul, the relationship with his mother, the influence of religious education, homosexuality and the discovery of it, the loves that come and go and the disappointments and marks that arise from it and the mismatches of life. Almodóvar's cinema is about people, it is about the conflicts of the soul, about what must be said to the other and the opportunities that are lost by not speaking and not allowing oneself to feel. It is, therefore, an investigation of the human soul and its subtleties driven by the lightness of the camera in contrast to the complex subjects it proposes to debate.
In "Pain and Glory" the text of Almodóvar is clear and straightforward. At 69, he seeks to reevaluate his relationship with his mother and when he exposes the dichotomy between the tribute and her exposure and the people around him as a source of inspiration for his characters. It is curious how in the movie the mother says she hates the way she and her village friends are portrayed in the main character's cinema, while he states that each line, each film is a tribute to who made him who he is.
In interviews, Almodóvar said that "Pain and Glory" is a film that represents him most intimately, although certain situations suffered by its protagonist, such as drug use and terrible pains are not true, but only poetic license for dramaturgical purposes.
"It's not my biography, but the movie that most closely represents me," said the director, making sure it's not as physically bad as the protagonist and never using drugs like the same.
To live this "worse" Almodóvar we have an António Banderas that we have not seen since "La piel que habito" (2011), one of his last great performances, precisely in a film by the Spanish filmmaker. In the shoes of fellow director and screenwriter Salvador Mallo, Banderas portrays Almodóvar's alter ego very well. Aged, full of physical and soul pain, with shaken or lost relationships for decades with different characters who have gone through his life and a fledgling drug problem, Banderas delivers one of his best performances emulating the director's soul. The Spanish actor seems to have been able to perfectly capture an Almodóvar persona with his silences, tired looks and hesitation in speech.
At the same time, Mallo wants to get back up, back in the limelight of the cinema. And the inspiration comes from the rich material that is your life and the life of the people around him. And that is what Almodóvar does. Using the examples of what he lived, he seeks to connect with his audience, who also live similar anxieties and desires. After all, living, like the title of your movie, is a frequent experience of pain and glory.
The film also features Penelope Cruz, who helps tell stories of a young Salvador who are also those of a young Almodóvar. There we see what we are used to seeing in different passages of the director's films. The economically difficult childhood, the study at the high school and the life for art that rescued him from those moments of poverty.
Extremely metalinguistic and full of reckoning with the past, perhaps "Pain and Glory" only sins because it is overly and so clearly autobiographical, which makes the experience of viewing the film with a sense of déjà vu and without a sign of freshness that accompany him. It's more of a therapy session than a movie and it has a more confessional and less creative text compared to what we used to see in the director's filmography.
But this is an absolutely personal point of view. And it doesn't make the movie experience bad. Far from it. "Pain and Glory" has its value and has a simply unmissable Antonio Banderas. Almodóvar's signature is also a guarantee of pleasure for his fans, who will not be disappointed. But I don't think it's a kind of movie that would generate new fans for the director.
In the final balance, "Pain and Glory" is like rediscovering an old friend whom one admires for delicacy, intelligence, insight and even imperfections. And an imperfect Almodóvar is still an above average Almodóvar.