A maturing Almodovar in a less absurd - if still melodramatic - mode than his early films. This time the tone is more film noir/mystery/character study. Unlike most of the early work, this is generally 'serious', with just touches of his humor.
Visual very striking and dark. Wonderful performances, including an early one by Javier Bardem. I appreciate how all the characters are gray, no one is 'good' or bad'.
Basically it's a love triangle with multiple angles, and a cop drama about violence and love. What it's missing (for me at least) , and keeps it a very good film, not a great one, is deeper levels of emotion. It's always interesting, but I didn't ultimately find it affecting. Also a couple of key plot contrivances are clunky – which the anarchic young Almodovar could get away with, since everything was absurd anyway. But when you're being more 'real', forced twists feel more well, forced. Still a film well worth seeing, and another important step in the growth of a major filmmaker.
Visual very striking and dark. Wonderful performances, including an early one by Javier Bardem. I appreciate how all the characters are gray, no one is 'good' or bad'.
Basically it's a love triangle with multiple angles, and a cop drama about violence and love. What it's missing (for me at least) , and keeps it a very good film, not a great one, is deeper levels of emotion. It's always interesting, but I didn't ultimately find it affecting. Also a couple of key plot contrivances are clunky – which the anarchic young Almodovar could get away with, since everything was absurd anyway. But when you're being more 'real', forced twists feel more well, forced. Still a film well worth seeing, and another important step in the growth of a major filmmaker.