Broken Embraces

Penelope Cruz is a sight to behold. This fact isn’t lost on audiences and especially not with directors like Pedro Almodovar. With Broken Embraces, Almodovar fully capitalizes on Cruz’s captivating screen presence—this is a film full of sensuousness and dramatic aesthetics that seem inextricably linked to its star.

Film director and writer Harry Caine (Lluis Homar) has become blind after surviving a suspicious car accident. As Caine retells the story of a past film’s creation—his would-be magnum opus starring the beautiful Lena (Cruz)—to his assistant’s son Diego (a convincing Tamar Novas), enigmas and betrayals begin to surface. The film follows Caine’s discovery of the lies and deceit that destroyed both his career and love. Loose ends are tied, untied and unraveled completely in a way that is tantalizing but never cloyingly confusing.

In typical Almodovar fashion, the film is a vibrant visual experience—bright reds and primary colors abound, and boldly contrasted vignettes open to embrace grand staircases or exotic beaches. Just when the combination of beatific scenery and Caine’s disability threatens to tiptoe into Diving Bell and Butterfly territory, the mystery takes a sharp turn toward denouement. Broken Embraces finishes with a satisfying, effortless conclusion, which, thankfully, avoids pompous plot twists and grandstanding.

The Spanish language barrier doesn’t muddle Cruz’s divine ability to say much more with her gaze—she is ostentatious but never verbose. The other actors have natural, complementary roles in this restrained exercise. Although this lends Broken Embraces an element of grace, it also holds the capable actors back from more expressive, daring performances. The viewer is left with the sense that by letting its hair down a little, this film would be at the top of Almodovar’s repertoire.