'Broken Embraces' lovely, but still a train wreck
I get that director Pedro Almodovar has a crush on Penelope Cruz. Who doesn’t? She adores him, too, which is why she’ll do anything he asks, including being in one of his bad movies.
Granted, he doesn’t have many, but this is one of the most convoluted and pretentious efforts he’s done in a while.
It’s the story of a blind writer who once was the toast of the Spanish filmmaking industry. He discovered the stunning Lena (Penelope Cruz), who was the sex slave to a creepy old man who paid her dying father’s medical bills.
She had paid her debt many times over (yuck!) and wanted to play house with her dashing young director. He would make her a star like Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, but the old geezer would not go away quietly.
Others would roam in and out of this story — a jealous old friend/housekeeper, her curious son, the rich old man and his even creepier son — all set in a story that goes back and forth over 14 years but eventually leads to one tragic moment.
The music makes you think of Hitchcock, but the story has none of his clarity or suspense. It’s just Almodovar turning his princess into an object of desire amidst beautiful vistas, gorgeous costumes and exquisite set pieces.
It’s a lovely train wreck, but a train wreck nonetheless.
The film is playing at the Broadway Centre in Salt Lake City.
