Pain and Glory (2019)

An aging film director suffering from chronic illness and writer's block reflects on his life.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 68 wins & 161 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Salvador Mallo
Asier Etxeandia	...	Alberto Crespo
Leonardo Sbaraglia	...	Federico Delgado
Nora Navas	...	Mercedes
Julieta Serrano	...	Jacinta
César Vicente	...	Eduardo
Asier Flores	...	Salvador Mallo
Penélope Cruz	...	Jacinta
Cecilia Roth	...	Zulema
Susi Sánchez	...	Beata
Raúl Arévalo	...	Venancio Mallo
Pedro Casablanc	...	Dr. A. Galindo
Julián López	...	Presentador
Eva Martín	...	Radióloga
Sara Sierra	...	Conchita

Storyline

The protagonist of "Pain and Glory" was at the decline of his career. The man involuntarily looks back into the past, and a stream of vivid memories falls upon him. He recalls such moments from his youth as tender feelings for his mother, love and separation, the search for happiness and success. All this leads the master of cinema to important thoughts about life and art, because this is the most important thing for him.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | film director | gay lead character | chronic pain | creative crisis | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, some graphic nudity and language.

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Latin Grammy winner Rosalía. She plays one of Penélope Cruz's friends during the river scene, where she also sings.

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Quotes

Salvador Mallo: This time I will not fail you, mom.

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Connections

Features Splendor in the Grass (1961)

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Soundtracks

La noche de mi amor
Written by Dolores Durán (as Adilea da Rocha Macedo) and Manuel L. Quiroga (as Manuel Lopez Quiroga Miquel)
Performed by Chavela Vargas

User Reviews

The 8½ of our time, brought by a brilliant filmmaker.

I. Short review:

Half autobiographic, half fiction, Almodóvar's most intimate work is an european drama carved with humor and intense emotions you wouldn't want to miss, Antonio Banderas is a tour de force.

II. Full review:

Since this year's Cannes Film Festival celebration in which Pain and Glory competed for the Palm d'Or for best picture and supposedly the favorite to win, I took quite interest in Almodóvar's new film, also my personal experiences with two of his films that I've seen, 'Talk to Her' (which I think is an absolute masterpiece), and the very creative thriller 'The Skin I Live In' (also starring Antonio Banderas), were strong factors of that interest.

The film tells the story of a depressed and aching director that reconnects with old friends and people he used to care about, at the time that he reflects on his humble but enlightning past in several ways, all from the perspective of his gloomy and lonesome present.

Pain and Glory escalates in a ladder of triumphs, since its mesmerizing soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), an astonishing cinematography by José Luis Alcaine, a masterful direction and gripping script by Pedro Almodóvar, to its top and greatest gift of all: a colossal performance by Antonio Banderas, which justifies his award for best actor in Cannes 2019.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Spain France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

4 October 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pain and Glory

Filming Locations:

Paterna, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$152,636, 6 October 2019

Gross USA:

$4,567,338

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,359,689

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Ciné+, El Deseo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1