Almodovar has returned with this portrait of obcession, guilt and desire. The fact that it’s as disjointed in it’s presentation as the title suggests shows that whilst fans of the Spanish maestros indulgent style will be sucked in by another glossy presentation, the filmmaking is not as strong as it once was and unfortunately he seems increasingly to rely on his leading lady, a certain Penelope Cruz.
Cruz’s turn in ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ was by far the most outstanding thing in Woody Allen’s most banal film to date, and she reprises many of the characteristics of that role for her part in ‘Broken Embraces’. The character flits between helpless and ruthless with questionable ease. But this schitzophrenia is characteristic of the film itself which loses a great deal of traction as it tries to combine the life of a blind writer in the present day and the story of his past and lost love. The film is so wrapped up in itself that it ends up looking inwards rather than outwards, and as such is an extremely insular film.
The film is undeniably beautifully shot and the actors, especially Lluis Homar and Cruz, throw everything they have at the film. But it can’t shake off the impression that this is the film of a man who has exhausted many possibilities for expressing love and has decided to turn preconceptions of their head. The film therefore suffers from being overlong, with each shot spreading itself out until it’s weary conclusion. It doesn’t make for a particular exciting payoff, even if it is not insufferable. Instead the film is attractive and superficial, much like the film-within-a-film that it is trying to lampoon.
Too good to be bad, but too bad to be anything other than average. There are beautiful setpieces and the acting is often wonderfully realised, but on the whole this spends more time obsessing with itself than it does actually showing itself off.
The Clapper Bored 