Review of Bad Education (2004) by Andres B — 24 Oct 2011

Given the subject matter, I would expect this film to be heartbreaking, but it wasn't. I think this time, for me, Almodovar was not able to reach the balance between the exaggerated melodrama he always infuses in his films, and the raw realism in his characters. All the genres he tried to mix here ended up crashing, and by the end, I couldn't really feel for what was happening.

This is a very sad story, and it could've hit harder if it wasn't so overly dramatic, especially by the end. It almost seems corny. I think the dialogue and script in this one was weaker than any of his other films.

I give it three stars, because despite all of it's problems, the structure of the film within a film works amazingly well, and the performances, especially from Fele Martinez, are all top notch.