La flor de mi secreto (1995)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar (writer)

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Every woman has a secret...

Plot:

Leo Macias writes sentimental novels with great success but hidden under a pseudonym, Amanda Gris. She...

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Flamenco | Organ Donation | Women | Newspaper

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Marisa Paredes	...	Leo Macías
Juan Echanove	...	Ángel
Carme Elias	...	Betty
Rossy de Palma	...	Rosa
Chus Lampreave	...	Madre de Leo
Kiti Manver	...	Manuela
Joaquín Cortés	...	Antonio
Manuela Vargas	...	Blanca
Imanol Arias	...	Paco
Gloria Muñoz	...	Alicia
Juan José Otegui	...	Tomas
Nancho Novo	...	Doctor B
Jordi Mollà	...	Doctor A
Alicia Agut	...	Neighbor A
Marisol Muriel	...	Dancer

Also Known As:

La fleur de mon secret (France)
The Flower of My Secret (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Spain | France

Language:

Spanish | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Almagro, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

CiBy 2000

Trivia:

During the film Leo talks about story lines for books. One of the stories is about a girl who kills her father after he tries to rape her and then along with her mother hides the body in a restaurant freezer. This is the basic plot of Volver (2006/I), one of Almodóvar's later films.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dolor y vida: Un acercamiento a 'La flor de mi secreto' (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

En el último trago

Colour is emotion.

The film famed for pivoting Almodovar's move away from formless farce to the rich delights of melodrama, which would produce his two masterpieces, LIVE FLESH and ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER. SECRET isn't quite up to those films (the mix of comedy and drama isn't quite digested) but is a wonderful start, with its amazing heroine, whose delusions and needs are revealed but never resolved; its typically eccentric supporting cast; its ruminations on the artist and her art - there are writers, editors, dancers, filmmakers all in the film - and secrets, both private and public; its silly men; its use of interiors and decor; Almodovar's still cherishable, unparalleled use of colour, allied with a new found sense of composition (the later films would reveal his increasing mastery of the camera); some extraordinary shots, especially the paper shower during the students' demonstration.