Pedro Almodóvar masterpieces - tonight on Film4

Pedro Almodóvar is THE director in Spain that people aspire to be. His films have explored so many taboo subjects with a style that is synonomous with the man himself. He has explored kidnap, prostitution, abuse and many more.

After the success of The Skin I Live In, tonight on Film4 sees a double bill of two of Almodóvar's greatest films to date - firstly at 9pm there is All About My Mother/Todo Sobre Mi Madre (my personal favourite) followed immediately at 11pm with Bad Education/La Mala Educacion.


It is no secret that Almodóvar has a collection of favourite women - his muses so to speak. Among them are the Spanish star Marisa Paredes and Penelope Cruz, both of whom are in All About My Mother. The film has the kind of interwoven plot that would make little sense if someone tried to explain it to you but in Almodóvar's hands it just works. He has a gift for making the abnormal normal. Who else could make Penelope Cruz an HIV positive pregnant nun and make it seem utterly plausible?

Bad Education ("educación" does not just translate to education in the school sense of the word but also means upbringing, manners etc) is more of a male dominated film, inspired by Almodóvar's own religious upbringing. It stars Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) and covers sexual abuse in the regimented Catholic schools of the Franco era, homosexuality and transvestites. Bernal makes a surprisingly gorgeous woman I must say - those cheekbones!


Well done Film 4. Pure class.

The Skin I Live In (La Piel Que Habito)

Spanish and Latin Cinema is an entity unto itself within the foreign cinema genre. The films largely deal with taboo topics few other countries would manage to explore (without looking seedy and grotesque) and Brits would normally just steer clear. There have been prostitutes, kidnaps, child abuse, homosexuality, dog fighting and oh so much sex. The sex in Spanish cinema is somewhere between explicit and pornographic and takes some getting used to when you're used to the sensibility of British and American cinema. But once you see a few, you get used to it and it becomes less about the sex and more about the plot going on around it.

The popularity of Spanish films is thanks, largely, to the man behind many of Spain's most recognised film masterpieces – Pedro Almodóvar. I'd say that Almodóvar is the Spielberg of the spanish-speaking world but he really isn't. He's as well respected (possibly even more so!) and well-known but his directing style is completely different. Almodóvar has favourite actors he continues to work with (the well-known Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas as well as veteran Spanish actress Marisa Paredes) and manages to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece. I don't think the man has made a single dud. His films make plot lines that are totally bizarre and make no sense appear clear cut and beautiful. In All About My Mother (my favourite of his films) he not only managed to make Penelope Cruz an HIV positive pregnant nun – but made it seem totally normal. Other hits of his include Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Talk to Her and Volver.

I was incredibly excited then to see that he had signed up one of his favourites, Antonio Banderas, to star in his latest work – The Skin I Live In. I was more than a little confused though by the vague plot that had been released to explain the film beforehand.

A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.

IMDB

Other plot summaries also included references to a wife who had been badly burned in an accident and a daughter who had been sexually assaulted. So why not just reveal a little more? Well the reason, I can tell you, that the plot is so elusive is simple - if you understood the plot, it would ruin the film. It's one of those films you have to just watch because what you discover cannot be told, it must be seen. The film is possibly one of Almodóvar's darkest, simply because it is much more psychological than his others - the majority of the horror is implied not shown - and for that reason left me a little shaken at the big reveal. But be warned - like all Spanish cinema, this is not one for the faint hearted. This is a dark and sinister film that will mess with your head long after you've left the cinema.

For those brave enough to dare to see it, I can tell you that it is certainly another masterpiece to add to Almodóvar‘s list. The film is beautifully executed as always, stunningly simplistic in its dialogue and action, the acting is flawless and like most Spanish films – completely intoxicating. I always relish the opportunity to see Antonio Banderas acting in his native tongue. There are no jokes here, just solid proof that the man is a brilliant actor, clearly wasted in Hollywood. This is also, I’m sure the first of many films starring the most recent addition to Almodovar‘s women – Elena Anaya.

If this is your first attempt into the world of Spanish cinema, I would advise caution and suggest starting with All About My Mother or Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down before seeing this one. If though, like me, you have seen and enjoyed many of the earlier films then this is a must see.

Spanish films have a tendency to grab you from the very beginning and keep you hooked long after the credits have finished rolling. This film will get under your imperfect human skin and stay there.

3.5 FOBLES

Click here for the book vs film of Tarantula vs The Skin I Live In

Top 5: Foreign films

Foreign films became a passion of mine for two very different reasons. Firstly, two old school friends used to come over to my house and watch scary Japanese films with me, freaking my poor big sister out, who would sit in her bedroom next door and hear our intermittent squeals and screams (and often giggles!) and wonder what on earth we were doing.

And that was the start of my love for Japanese horror - Battle Royale, the Ring Trilogy and Audition were the favourites but we were also highly amused by the Tartan Extreme trailers that would come at the beginning of the DVD. Hard Boiled had the funniest (unintentionally!) trailer of Chow Yun-Fat cradling a baby and shooting everyone around him. Then came Hard Boiled 2 with its new tagline (which we created!) of more guns, more blood, more death and more eggs!

Then at university, I started to learn Spanish. And I started to take trips down to the local Phoenix cinema to watch the latest Spanish releases. Then I started to buy DVDs. It was at this point that I started to expand my foreign film viewing to other languages besides Japanese and Spanish. And I got to see the joy that is Amelie and the stunningly beautiful Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Spanish films are still my favourite overall. Only in a Spanish film could Penelope Cruz play an HIV positive, pregnant nun and keep the plot plausible (All About my Mother) or Antonio Banderas play an ex-mental patient who kidnaps a porn star and still be funny (Tie me up, Tie me down).

But my real love of foreign cinema is their ability to be completely un-Hollywood. The American remakes of foreign films always leave something lacking (see review) - case in point: The Ring, Vanilla Sky etc. The characters do not always walk off into the sunset, nobody is shy about sex or violence, the plot is not thinned for the viewing public and the ends do not always tie up in a neat little bow. And for all that, I thank you foreign films, from the bottom of my slightly twisted heart.

Here are 5 you absolutely must see:

• Amelie (French) - beautiful, romantic without being cheesy, heartwarming for the deepest and darkest cynic.
• All About my Mother (Spanish) - to explain it would ruin it. Just watch it!
• Battle Royale (Japanese) - a class of Japanese school children are put on an island and forced to kill each other. Violent but very very clever!

• Ring Trilogy (Japanese) - Still creepy, will stand the test of time as one of the greatest horror films ever made!
• Pans Labyrinth (Spanish) - visually stunning and incredibly acted. Magical and very dark all at the same time.

And if you fancy a giggle - try "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" (Spanish). Antonio Banderas is hilarious and if you can get past the graphic sex scenes it's absolute comedy genius.

LE xx