Broken Embraces

2009
7.2| 2h7m| R| en
Details

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.

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Reviews

Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
hoxjennifer Broken Embraces is the story of guilt, jealousy and passion. Penelope Cruz does a stunning performance as Magdalena "Lena" Rivero, a secretary for a wealthy businessman, Ernesto Martel, who has always dreamt of being an actress but has ended up in shady places because of her dream. Ernesto is obsessed with her, and when her father is dying of stomach cancer, she is forced to depend on him so the family can afford to pay their medical bills. After 2 years, she becomes his live-in mistress, who after landing a role in Mateo Blanco's new movie, embarks on a secret and dangerous love affair. Like Pedro Almodovar's other films, the plot is extremely creative and complex, but not at all hard to follow. I think the best part of the film is Lena's character. She is complex, sexual, and yet extremely vulnerable at the same time. I would give this movie a higher rating, however I felt a little dissatisfied with the ending. Usually Almodovar's plots come full circle, but this one was left hanging. There are other spoilers too that I won't mention that never get addressed in the ending. It was otherwise splendidly directed, beautiful and also colourful. I enjoyed it, but it's not my favourite of his films that I've seen so far.
blanche-2 "Broken Embraces" from 2009 is another fine film by Pedro Almodovar, not my favorite, but still good. And again, it stars Penelope Cruz, whom he starred in "Volver." Instead of channeling Sophia Loren this time, for the purposes of the film within a film, she's like Audrey Hepburn.A blind screenwriter, Harry Caine (Lluís Homar), lives in Madrid and is helped in his daily activities by Judit and her son, Diego, whom he has known for years.When he learns of that businessman Ernesto Martel has died, it brings him back to the past.In the 1990s and before he was blinded, Harry went under his real name of Mateo Blanco and worked as a director. Casting his latest (and his last) film, he meets Lena (Cruz) and sparks fly between them immediately. He casts her, and her boyfriend, the older Ernesto, finances it. Nervous and possessive, he sends his son to film the filming and to spy on Lena and Mateo, and to give him the footage. His son does this, pretending to do a documentary about Mateo. There's plenty to see - the two are in love and having an affair. Not only that, but he has a lip reader tell him what they are saying on and off-camera.This is a film about passion, jealousy, creativity, as Ernesto views the "dailies" the way that Mateo probably views his own "dailies" during the movie. It's also about psychological blindness as well as physical blindness, both of which affect Harry. It's a melodramatic tale of tragic love, but an involving one, and a little on the long side.Penelope Cruz is unbelievably gorgeous, and does an effective job as Lena. There are other Almodovar films I prefer to this, including All About My Mother, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Volver, but I think his work is always worth seeing.
Martin Teller This movie seems to get knocked around a bit as "lesser Almodovar" and I guess I can't disagree. Certainly it's familiar territory and doesn't bring anything new to his ouevre. But I really enjoyed it. Everything about it works... maybe not brilliantly, but it works. It's a solid melodrama with a twisty plot that comes into focus nicely and resolves gracefully. There are a few wonderful little touches like the use of voices over filmed images. The movie could use more of Almodovar's humor, but at least the performances are engaging, especially Cruz and Homar (Ruben Ochandiano as "Ray X" is a little overcooked, though). The references to WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN kinda made me wish I was watching that much better film instead, but I still had a good time.
Turfseer For me, an Almodovar film is always a mixed bag. Broken Embraces is no exception. On the plus side, you have the consistently excellent dialogue that always features interesting information. For example, at the beginning of the film, Harry Caine (formerly Mateo) with his agent and former lover, Judit, discuss adapting a true-life story about playwright Arthur Miller, who placed his mentally handicapped child in an institution. There's another scene where Harry and Diego come up with a clever idea for a new screenplay—a group of vampires who work at a blood bank. The whole idea is very creative but it goes on too long (like so many other aspects of Almodovar's scenes); and when the two add in all the sexual jokes, I just wondered, is all this necessary?Some internet posters felt that Diego's accidental overdose was an unnecessary scene which added little to the overall plot. It did go on a bit too long but obviously served as a device to introduce the series of flashbacks which Harry relates to Diego as he tells the story of his affair with Lena. For awhile, Almodovar emulates Hitchcock, and it appears that Broken Embraces is headed for neo-noir territory. Almodovar introduces us to the enigmatic Ray X, Ernesto Martel's insecure gay son, who trails Lena and Mateo around with his camcorder while they conduct their furtive affair during the filming of Mateo's new comedy 'Chicas y Maletas'. And then there's another unique character, Lola, the lip reader who Martel hires to try and deduce what Lena and Mateo are up to.Despite the unique setup and characters, Almodovar is unable to sustain the suspense which we would expect from a film which is modeled on Hitchcock. In a scene straight out of the 1945 tear-jerker, Leave Her to Heaven, Martel, consumed with jealousy, (and channeling Gene Tierney), pushes Lena down the stairs. The film virtually grinds to a halt after Lena and Mateo decide to flee from Madrid and Lena takes a job at a tourist hotel. Almodovar does answer one of the central questions of the film—how did Harry end up going blind? I suppose it's best that he doesn't have Martel take revenge on Harry by blinding him. It's fate that ends up doing Harry in—a chance car accident that takes his eyesight and kills Lena at the same time. Ernesto does take his revenge by cutting up 'Chicas y Maletas'.If the car accident seems anti-climactic, the film's denouement appears even more so. Judit confesses first that Harry is Diego's father. She further confesses that she accepted money from Martel in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of Lena and Mateo while they were on the run back in 1994. This allowed Ernesto Jr. to film Mateo and Lena's last kiss before the unfortunate car accident. Judit makes it clear however, that Junior had nothing to do with the car accident—that it was simply a matter of fate. Fortunately, she saved the original takes of 'Chicas y Maletas' and Mateo and Diego get to work on re-editing the 'masterpiece'. Even better, Harry decides to dispense with his Harry altar ego and goes back to being Mateo. In that respect, Mateo's character arc is complete.The film could have ended right there but no Almodovar has to show us scenes from the re-cut 'Chicas y Maletas'. And no, unfortunately, it's not the comic masterpiece, he would like his audience to think it is! It's just another example of Almodovar's tendency toward overkill in his overall approach toward film making.Broken Embraces features rich cinematography with a plethora of arresting images. You also cannot go wrong with the actors here from Lluis Homar's low key but intense Harry and the over the top but thoroughly enjoyable Penelope Cruz. With some judicious editing (particularly with the final film within a film), Broken Embraces could have been a much better film. With Almodovar, too much of a good thing is not always good.