Bad Education (2004)
"La mala educación" (original title)

An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 12 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gael García Bernal	...	Ángel / Juan / Zahara
Fele Martínez	...	Enrique Goded
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Padre Manolo
Lluís Homar	...	Sr. Manuel Berenguer
Francisco Maestre	...	Padre José
Francisco Boira	...	Ignacio
Juan Fernández	...	Martín
Nacho Pérez	...	Ignacio (as Ignacio Pérez)
Raúl García Forneiro	...	Enrique (as Raúl Gª Forneiro)
Javier Cámara	...	Paca / Paquito
Alberto Ferreiro	...	Enrique Serrano
Petra Martínez	...	Madre
Sandra
Roberto Hoyas	...	Camarero

Storyline

In the early 60s, two boys - Ignacio and Enrique - discover love, movies and fear in a Christian school. Father Manolo, the school principal and Literature teacher, both witnesses and takes part in these discoveries. The three characters come against one another twice again, in the late 70s and in 1980. These meetings are set to change the life and death of some of them.

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Plot Keywords:

school | teacher | catholic | sexual abuse | screenplay | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for a scene of explicit sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [br]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish Latin

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Bad Education

Filming Locations:

Escuela Pías de Alella, Alella, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$147,370 (USA) (19 November 2004)

Gross:

$5,211,842 (USA) (22 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, El Deseo S.A., Televisión Española (TVE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film opened the 57th Cannes Film Festival in 2004. It was the first Spanish film to ever get that honor.

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Goofs

When Burenguer declines Ignacio's story over the phone, he says that he wouldn't be accepting it for "Short Stories of the 80's". According to his story, it would have had to been at least 1977, three years before the '80s let alone before a compilation of stories from the '80s would be released.

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Quotes

Ignacio: I think I've just lost my faith at this moment, so I no longer believe in God or hell. As I don't believe in hell, I'm not afraid. And without fear I'm capable of anything.

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Connections

References Esa mujer (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Cuore Matto"
(Totò Savio (as Savio) / Ambrosino)
Copyright by Edizioni Chappell S.R.L. / Ediciones Armónico S.L. / Ediciones Musicales Clipper's,
S.L.
Courtesy of BMG España

User Reviews

All About My Father

The title "Bad Education" only hints at what Almodovar's magnificent new film is all about. While certainly the sexual abuse the boy Ignacio suffers at the hands of Father Monolo is largely the contributing factor in the way his life turns out, (the film's most telling line occurs when the boy, on realising the priest's betrayal, says that at that moment he lost his faith and his belief in God and hell, that he was no longer afraid and without fear was capable of anything), it is not, essentially, what the film is about.

Indeed, a much better, if perhaps a more blase title might have been "All About My Father", for like Almodovar's earlier masterpiece "All About My Mother" it is a film about artifice, role-play and deception. The opening credits, (a pastiche of Saul Bass with a Herrmanesque score) deliberately evokes late Hitchcock and the film recalls "Vertigo", stylistically as well as thematically, another film about someone loving someone who is not whom they appear to be, each revelation building inexorably to a denouement as layers are quite literally stripped away. In a film which. in a sense, is 'about' acting, the performances are uniformly excellent, though to be fair, Gael Garcia Bernal, (certainly the best actor of his generation), stands head and shoulders above the rest playing a variation of roles, or rather a variation of the same role. All in all this is exquisite, pertinent all-encompassing film-making that only confirms Almodovar's position in the front rank of world class directors.