Review of Broken Embraces (2009) by Thomas W — 13 Mar 2010

Pedro Almodovar is one the BEST directors alive! He never fails to amaze or impress with his yearly films -- there isn't one that I have even mildly disliked. His style has remained very much the same over the years -- he is a vividly visual director that tells a very humanistic story of personal struggle -- and I am so very thankful to him for never coming to Hollywood to allow anyone to change his style.

Almodovar's yearly release is now one I can "rest assured" will be a pleasure to sit through even when the subject matter is dark or depressing. Broken Embraces is a rather sad and somber and terrible affair; but my goodness is it done well .

.. and Penelope Cruz shines, shines, shines! She won her Oscar last year for a Woody Allen movie (she was EXCELLENT in Vicky Christina Barcelona); but she has Almodovar to thank for bringing her to the world for-front of acting.

Her first English-language films were rather shaky and her talent didn't flow through her work; but she cannot be equalled when it comes to her performing in her native tongue of Spanish. Almodovar can tell two very different story and then weave them seamlessly together into one larger story -- and that is what he has done with Broken Embraces.

The two stories are told 14 years apart; but they parallel and follow the other without any hook-ups or problems. This is another Great One from Pedro. His fans cannot miss this one -- Broken Embraces is a beautifully tragic story.