Review of Bad Education (2004) by Sergio Z — 18 Jul 2011

Filmmaking demands elegance. As a film begins to cross the thresholds of time continuums, play with the perception of reality and fiction as well as border morality and begin to provoke its audience, elegance is the fundamental axis in separating a film from genius and self-indulgence. Such is the case of Almodovar's tale of molestation, love and death. A film so intricately constructed and so tightly knit that its hard to fathom how extensive the screenplay and storyboards must have been for a film of this caliber.

In today's world, a gay romance is in no way different than a straight romance, and although some might argue that Almodovar does go above and beyond the comfort zones of some viewers, one needs to understand is that La Mala Educacion is in essence a film about love. Whether it is about love between people, love for art or love for life, Almodovar creates a colorful and visceral story in which the genders involved are not essential, because love crosses all creeds and colors.

The film shows the lives of filmmaker Ignacio Rodriguez and screenwriter Enrique Goded, two young men who had last seen each other sixteen years ago, when they were still in a Christian school and were threatened by their pedophile teacher, Father Manolo. Going into the story any further than this would diminish the excellence of Almodovar's direction, because ultimately, the films genius lies in its story and execution.

Almodovar proves that he has elegance in his provocative film about how a priest with pedophile tendencies forever changes the lives of 2 young boys. By never succumbing to sexploitation and always keeping the narrative first in line, Almodovar's film shocks with its constantly believable plot twists and excellent performances from its cast. The film is both shocking and hilarious, and as tragedy evolves, one finds a dark humor in the lives of Ignacio, Enrique and Juan.

The story covers endless layers and stories, and as the setting shifts in the film, fact and fiction does as well. The film never confuses the viewer too much by alternating in its aspect ratio, which is an innovative technique. As the film shows what happens within Enrique's screenplay, the image of the video on the screen is smaller. By elegantly jumping back and forth in time and place through voiceovers and technical tricks, La Mala Educacion never becomes impossible to comprehend.

What first is accepted as true is later proven false, and as the film works its way to the end of the puzzle, the viewer needs to rethink their own perception of the characters and constantly reconsider their opinions and demands for the outcomes of each stakeholder. In his own right, Almodovar made a darkly satirical, yet disturbingly sincere and tragic Romance in the style of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Although links between the two films can be drawn, they are definitely not the same film. The power of this film is second to none, and the performances and the characters are excellent and wonderfully layered.

La Mala Educacion is not a film for everyone, but those who can give it a try will not be disappointed. It is a film that displays technical expertise, and tells a powerful story in an unconventional, and provocative way.