"Broken Embraces"

I've been meaning to write about the movie Christopher and I saw last week, but I kept getting off on other tangents. And then, over the weekend, I spent pretty much all of my on-the-computer time editing something for work. So, here we are on Movie Monday, and I finally get to write about it.

"Broken Embraces" ("Los Abratos Rotos") is a Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar. If you've never seen a movie by Almodovar... well... they can be a little out there. He's been the driving force behind movies like "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "Tie me up! Tie me down!" and -- more recently -- "Volver" and "The Flower of My Secret."

One of the primary things that all of the movies have in common -- or at least the ones I've seen -- are strong central female characters and some rather uncommon plot twists. And, when he finds a woman he likes working with, he stays with her -- the last two movies both had Penelope Cruz in lead roles.

Picture from Sony Pictures Classics

But, anyway, back to "Broken Embraces"... I saw that someone had called it a "big sloppy wet kiss for the movie industry" but I wouldn't really go that far. It does have, at its center, a director and screenwriter (the same man), and the people he has come across over the years through his work in the movies. One of those women, with whom he becomes romantically involved (don't worry -- that's not a spoiler), is Penelope Cruz's character. Mishaps occur. Missteps are taken. And we get to see what happens when editors use their powers for evil instead of good.

But I have to admit that my favorite things about the movie were the stunning visuals. The scenery was lovely. Cityscapes and seashores, alike. And Penelope Cruz... well... she's one of those women you sometimes forget are so beautiful. But, then, she shows up in a movie like this and takes your breath away. Wow. If the movie shows anywhere near you, I'd strongly suggest going -- even if it's just to watch it all and let it wash over you (after all, it's subtitled).

Overall rating: A. Probably could have been an A+, but I'm still a little confused by one of the jumps backward in time.