what's tasty and new in show business. [beta]
Pedro Almodovar begins Broken Embraces, his fourth collaboration with Penelope Cruz, with a cryptic shot of some sort of video screen. We see bodies, faces just out of view, bustling about on the edges of frame, and a lone woman standing near the center, staring at a man whose shoulder we are looking over. If there is any communication between the two, we are not privy to it. After several inscrutable seconds, she steps out of the frame and Cruz replaces her — finally, it clicks into place. We’re looking at a video monitor on a film set, and the unknown woman before was a stand-in. But this opening sequence frames a lot of what is to come: the self-reflexivity imbued in the film, as well as the mood and mystery that is pervasive throughout.
Broken Embraces follows the story of ex-film director Harry Caine (Lluís Homar) as he recounts the tale of the great love of his life. Blinded in an accident many years ago, he was forced to retire from the director’s chair and now writes for a living instead. His life and work is overseen by his agent Judit (Blanca Portillo), with her adult son Diego (Tamar Novas) working as his de facto assistant whenever Judit is unavailable. Harry hears that millionaire Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) has passed away, and soon after a young filmmaker named Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano) appears at his door, asking Harry to write a biopic on Martel that Ray will direct. Harry turns him down, but this chain of events upsets Judit greatly and also leaves Harry shaken. Diego is curious about the whole affair, though Harry refuses to talk about it until Diego inadvertently overdoses on a drugged drink in a Madrid nightclub and Harry must look after his recovering assistant while Judit is out of town. Only then does Harry begin to tell his story, one of love, lust, betrayal, and jealousy, and all of which is rooted around the ravishingly beautiful Magdalena (Cruz). Read»
Featuring a few trailers, bloody posters, a music video, some casting bits, and a fond farewell. Read»
