BROKEN EMBRACES
LAURIE COKER'S REVIEW
RATING: C+/B-
Penélope Cruz is more than just a pretty face. She has almost literally blossomed before our eyes. Her talent seems boundless and her range surprising, and in writer/director Pedro Almodovar?s fourth film starring the actress, ?Broken Embraces,? (?Los abrazos Rotos?) she once again positions herself at the top of the star ladder. The pairing of Almodovar and Cruz has worked before, while this may not be his best film, ?Broken Embraces? offers a pallete of passion and is cinematic prose as long as his star is on screen.
The movie first focuses on Harry Caine, played by Lluís Homar, a rough-edged, stoic man who shows his suffering on his worn face and through blind eyes. Then we learn, via flashbacks, that he (then known as director Mateo Blanco) was once intimately involved with an aspiring actress (an absolutely stunning Cruz) who, at the time, also played mistress to Ernesto (José Luis Gómez), a possessive financier, who helped her pay for her mother?s medical expenses and care. We discover the reason for Harry?s desolation and blindness and the motivation of all characters involved, including his agent (and former lover) Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son, Diego (Tamar Novas), who now are Harry?s primary caretakers. Judith still is his manager and Diego acts as his eyes, even writing for him, as Harry dictates a script ?one about a father who mistreats his son.
Visually the film pleases with perfect lines, detailed imagery and subtle coloring. Almodovar?s sets his tone clearly in each scene and moves smoothly through contrasting and changing segments. Using Cruz?s classic beauty as his focal point, his artistry gives the film an old-style Hollywood feel ? at times breathtaking and certainly classy. From Harry?s grim, dingy apartment to the dazzling coastline of Spain, we feel this film?s tenor and connect with its characters? emotions. In fact, Almodovar?s imagery acts as a character in the film. His is a slightly sloppy, complex narrative about love and loss, restitution and regret, but is delivered with a loving hand.
Cruz is splendid with both men, playing muse to Harry, who casts her in his first comedy and with Ernesto, she stomachs a clearly unpleasant affair as his concubine ? feeling obligated for his role saving her mother. To avoid spoilers, I won?t say much more about the plot, but Almodovar?s story, while not quite as poignant as ?Volver,? does take us on an interesting, passionate, sometimes dark, journey.
Cruz has stumbled some in American films, perhaps partially because of maturity and most assuredly because of language, but in her native tongue, she demonstrates a noticeable air of confidence and her characters are full and certainly fervent. As Lena, she is strong and yet in some ways childlike. Her beauty is undeniable and there are some wonderful shots, on the set of Harry?s film, where she is the spitting image of a young Audrey Hepburn. These shots and her stunning, brilliant eyes mesmerize. Like her character Carla in ?Nine,? Lena shows an almost palpable and a touching vulnerability, giving me reason to add her to my top ten list of actresses for the year.
To his fault, Almodovar?s story is not new, but Cruz brings emotion-charged power to their romance and Gómez - well he is perfect as the overbearing, repulsive older man who takes advantage of Lena through his money. Homar is perhaps the cast?s weakest link, shadowed by Cruz?s vibrancy. Because the main story comes to us in flashback, with a subtle mystery set forth in the prologue and fleshed out in flashbacks, Almodovar?s tale has a multiplicity which keeps us guessing and engrossed. We wonder about Judit and Diego and their connection to Harry and Lena and their roles in the events that transpire, and when another character, Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano) is introduced in the present and is connected to the past, suspense builds, but I would have preferred to have followed the romance more closely ? Lena and her men.
Over all, ?Broken Embraces? rated R, is hardly a story of notable substance and one I might actually call a tad careless, but luminous Cruz alone can carry the film and does. I am placing a C+/B- in my grade book. I hope that Almodovar and Cruz continue their collaboration in future films. With Cruz on screen, the film shines, without her, it trudges along dark and lumbering, but still watchable.
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LIZ LOPEZ' REVIEW
RATING: A+
Director and writer Pedro Almodóvar presents his latest cinematic work of art, ?Los Abrazos Rotos? or ?Broken Embraces? to theaters on January 8th. Although I was not exposed to his film work earlier in my life, during the last ten years I have been exposed to an array of films, including those from foreign countries other than Mexico and became a very huge fan of his work. This one contains enough scandal and drama in one film to fill up a viewer for a while.
One of the shining stars from Almodóvar?s homeland of Spain, Penélope Cruz, has frequently worked in his films. She does shine brightly as the beautiful Lena, the love of film director Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar, ?Bad Education?), who uses two names. ?Harry Caine? is the pseudonym he undertakes to sign his literary works, stories and scripts after he lost his sight in a car crash fourteen years before.
As is Almodóvar?s style, he weaves the script with varied character?s stories to keep the viewer engaged. At the beginning of the film in Madrid, Harry Caine uses all of his skills and senses to live and love, or at least, to get the girl on the street in his apartment for an afternoon delight. He is able to continue writing with help he gets from Judit García (Blanca Portillo) who faithfully continues by his side after years of being his production manager. Diego (Tomar Novas), her son, helps Harry as a secretary, typist and guide.
Despite knowing Mateo all his young life, Diego cannot notice there is an air of secrecy that surrounds his mother and Mateo. Mom dismisses the subject when he asks, but the pictures he has recently discovered of a beautiful woman in ?Harry?s? desk where they work together, leads him to believe there is a connection to that secret.
Penélope Cruz?s filmography is extensive and I admired her performance in this film in each of the varied looks that Lena has in the film during her life. From a simple professional look as an office assistant, a nurturing and caring daughter, to an all out vixen in jewels and luxurious attire when she finds herself ?owned? by her boss and film producer, Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez).
Almodóvar knows how to use all of Cruz?s talents and beauty to make the film have as much drama and intrigue as it does, along with the other characters he employs in their stories. I enjoy her performances in English language films, but in my opinion, she reveals her true skills as an actress when she performs in Spanish. I believe there is more passion and depth that comes through. She truly looks grossed out after a romp between the sheets with old man Martel and there was no way it can be misconstrued she hopes he is dead in that particular scene.
All of the actors are experienced and well cast, bringing their expertise to each role. José Luis Gómez brings the nasty, chauvinistic character to life and one that many women would not want to work for. In the United States he would probably be in court for sexual harassment and stalking. His own son, Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano), has been bullied all his life for being gay and pursued Harry to help write a script to get back at his father.
I loved her performances in ?Volver? (2006) and ?Vicky Christina Barcelona? (2008) and am adding this one to the list. The film is long, and towards the end of it, I found myself wondering how long I had been in the theater. I did not mind it. As a Latina though, I do understand our culture and know that many of us do not tell ?short? stories. Many in our culture love to share stories and relay extensive details with all the colors, layers and flavors to engage all the senses. Almodóvar does just that in his films and especially this one. Don?t be in a hurry when you decide to see this film. Enter the theater and savor it.
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