Review of Broken Embraces (2009) by Eric B — 21 Feb 2012

"Broken Embraces" is another of the multi-character soap operas which fans of Pedro Almodovar's past perversities have been forced to accept. In this one, a blind screenwriter (formerly a popular director before losing his sight) hears of a wealthy businessman's death and recalls a traumatic love triangle from 14 years earlier. The plot steadily alternates between flashbacks and the present.

Filling in more details could spoil the movie, so let's just say that the central characters also include the businessman's past secretary (Penelope Cruz, who manages to look gorgeous even while vomiting), the screenwriter's female agent, her grown son and the businessman's son. There is also one notable scene with the Cruz character's mother -- in a nostalgic nod to Almodovar's obvious influence Luis Bunuel, she is portrayed by Angela Molina, the co-star of 1977's "That Obscure Object of Desire." If Bunuel had made that film today, it's a safe bet that Cruz would have grabbed the lead role (or at least, half of it?).

"Broken Embraces" has less homosexual content than many other Almodovar works, and is fairly free of controversy beyond a bit of Cruz nudity and an opening sex scene which adds absolutely nothing to the story. The film is overlong at 129 minutes, and my own impatience for a conclusion began growing around the 90-minute mark.