Broken Embraces

1000!

Almodóvar, as is his wont, gives you splatters and splashes, swatches and swaths, of vibrant color, and he gives you the occasional rock-you-on-your-heels image (a teardrop on a ripe tomato, lovers writhing within a white-sheet cocoon), and he gives you deliberately over-the-top domestic melodrama played steadfastly straight. He doesn't, however, give you much to believe in, except in this instance the undoubted radiance of Cruz (once more)

Despite being in Spanish, and having to read subtitles, this movie was enjoyable. I can't seem to get enough of Penelope Cruz. This is a somewhat tragic love story. To help her father, Lena sells her body to a rich man and starts living with him. Eager to be a movie star and gets the opportunity to act, then falls in love with the director. The romance deepens and they eventually must run away from her abusive benefactor. Unfortunately a tragic auto accident changes everything.

This film is continuously spinning its wheels and never gains traction-- in the end we discover it never really had anywhere to go. All the best drama happens off screen. Large swaths of the film could have been cut with no real effect, as there is no driving action, no real story, no payoffs or revelations, consequences or even powerful emotional moments-- everything is down played by the performances, every character seems barely to care what happens to them.

As usual, Almodovar spins a good story full of twists and melodrama, but it never really delivers in the way his best films do. The characters aren't as sympathetic, I think we were just supposed to feel for them without Almodovar really making them compelling.

"Los abrazos rotos" doesn't feature Almodóvar's most tightly conceived plot, but the gorgeous visuals, powerful performances and clever homages are enough to make this a highly entertaining guilty pleasure. Cruz shines once again, the colours are beautiful and, although the ending is surprisingly low-key and unsatisfying, it's a worthwhile endeavor overall.

Eine hervorragende Pénélope Cruz! Die Charakteren in "Los Abrazos Rotos" bleiben aber für Almodovars Fähigkeiten ungewöhnlich oberflächlich.

The plot is a bit of a corkscrew and there's less humor here than typical of Almodovar, which actually knocks it down a notch, but overall this is incredibly well-written story revolving around a woman trapped by a spidery benefactor and the sad consequences of her actions when she tries to free herself. Penelope Cruz is really good in this.

Almodóvar in full-on soapy mode here; has moments of self-seriousness that become a little ponderous, and the exposition drops towards the end shudder the momentum, but the mid-section when the relationships between Cruz, Homar and Gómez kick into high gear, are deliriously enjoyable, helped by fine performances from all three actors (though Cruz as performer and filmic subject steals it). Lacks substance, and any sort of resonance, but it’s a tasty soufflé while you’re consuming it.

Surprisingly... normal!

An engaging drama but a little too melodramatic for my taste.

Almodovar shows a little restraint and it goes a long way. It's still a melodrama with strange inhabitants, but their quirks are balanced with an interesting story weaved together to get your attention. Not sure much will stay with me, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Viewed May 5, 2017. A film about ways of seeing, a fear of the camera, the immortality of the image, as well as an interrogation of Almodovar's legacy. It's a more refined and successful take on the narrative structure he attempted in Bad Education; it helps that it's centered around Penelope Cruz, who is instantly arresting, especially in front of Almodovar's camera. Parts of it are clumsy and it's maybe 15-20 minutes too long, but there are at least three moments of pure transcendence.

Nice Almodovar quality and always pleasant Penelope Cruz. Good drama, but not that big thriller.

The Hitchcock references are exquisitely executed while maintaining a very pleasant visual experience even if the film doesn't have the emotional punch of Almodóvar's best films.

It's Almodovar, so I liked it, but it has a lot of problems. While he often merges clashing styles successfully, this time the broad soap elements (especially in the non-Cruz acting) clash with the general sense of realism (eg, the depiction of blindness), which both clash with the (failed) attempts at Hitchcockian suspense in a low-stakes plot. Add to that a bunch of momentum-killing exposition and a bland, generic visual style, and you have a movie that never manages to get off the ground.

A messy effort from Almodóvar which confuses, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. I felt that with the characters he had, it was not necessary to get so complex. Homar and Cruz being an onscreen couple was not believable. Despite the duff script, the director again scores high on technical and artistic merit - the colour palette is eye-popping, the imagery memorable, the music well-judged. Visually, P.A. is one of the top 5 directors working today. As a writer he's close to the bottom 5.

17/9/9

I really hated this and wish I could get my 2 hours back, which were spent on wading through meaningless subplots for answers to a mystery that wasn't even half-interesting. The worst part was having a character reveal all of the "secrets" in a completely unexpected and unreasonable breakdown, with the other characters stoically accepting it. I interpreted the last 10 minutes as Almodovar apologizing for making such a bad movie, either because he's blind or he forgot to edit the film properly.

w/ Gamze

Almodóvar will likely never not impress with his penchant for visual flair, one that exaggerates the norms of daily life into something flamboyant and grandiose, but with a narrative whose melodrama reaches nearly comical heights of absurdity (did we really need the "He's your father" revelation only to never be brought up again?), 'Broken Embraces' fails to engage on a level beyond that of the superficial: There is little payoff, little consequence, and little sense of urgency.

* Casting, Acting : 8 * Script : 7.5 * Directing, Aura : 8 * Ease of Viewing : 7 * Naked Eye : 7.5

Not top-tier Almodovar, Broken Embraces is still woozily luscious and seductive. He and Cruz continue to be perfect partners in sensual film making. A couple missteps here though; both Blanco/Caine's creative drive and the character of Ray X feel underdeveloped. But the little details that make Almodovar films thriving things are all present, plus a reflective thread of an older artist revisiting his work. DO NOT MISS the Cannibal Councilor short, Carmen Maura at her coke-scorched best!

Contains the melodrama but not the emotional power of Almodóvar's best movies. Still manages to remain mostly interesting, although the narrative surprises and revelations are perhaps slightly underwhelming. Cruz is, as usual, very good.

while some have cited this film's lack of zaniness as a shortcoming, i on the other hand found that it made the film more enjoyable. favorite line: films have to be finished, even if you do it blindly.

Guzel bir oyku lakin Almodovar artik daha iyi filmler yapmali. Film icinde film. Film icinde oyku. Cruz oldukca basarili.

Be sure to see "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" before this one in order to get all the jokes in the enclosed movie (and it's also a much better movie than this one). Watchable melodrama... not much more. But Almodóvar's eye for color and composition is extraordinary... every frame could only have been conceived of by him. Personally, I also love the rhythm and inflection of his actors' Spanish--they talk like no other Spanish actors.

Very Good. A blind writer recounts the story of his life to a young man. This theme has been broached before, the beautiful girl, the secret amour, the jealous lover, a bit of noir.. but it has been handled exceptionally well here. Its wistful but not melodramatic, tells a tragedy but remains firmly rooted in real emotions and life without resorting to cheap theatrics except once. A subtle but full-bodied love story told with passion... may not be to everyone's taste but I loved it. Recommended.

A mostly engaging and layered soap opera.

The characters aren’t engaging and the plot interesting enough to sustain the movie constantly. The Hitchcockian suspense lacks. Plus the meta-moments take the momentum out of the plot at times. Still this is very worth a watch for the first-rate acting and Almodóvar’s assured directing alone.

Sure it's beautifully shot, but it's lifeless and rotten anyway. Found myself often laughing at how bad it is, especially when they contemplate the twilightesque vampire story, or during any scene with the gay son. But yeah, that's not enough to keep me entertained for 2 hours.

82.000

Given what it's about, Broken Embraces could easily be far more pretentious and self servicing than it is. The acting is great, particularly from the two female leads. I genuinely thought the blind guy was faking it for 2/3 of the movie which severely colored my opinion of him.

It seems Almodóvar treats all his characters with respect, despise their sometimes horrible flaws. I like that. Broken Embraces is very meta and sometimes it was a little bit too much for my taste, because this time it disrupted the mixture of moods too much. When the movie went out for a more quiet tone, it was at its best.

Washed out Almodovar, still very watchable, but probably not the best starting point in his filmography. The very ending gives us a neat self-reverential nod though.

not as good as Almodovar's other films

Almodóvar, please, go back to comedies. This movie is such a failed attempt on melodrama it can actually make you feel sorry for it.

This movie seems to get knocked around a bit as "lesser Almodovar" and I guess I can't disagree. Certainly it's familiar territory and doesn't bring anything new. But I really enjoyed it. Everything about it works... maybe not brilliantly, but it works. It's a solid melodrama with a twisty plot that comes into focus nicely and resolves gracefully. There are a few wonderful little touches like the use of voices over filmed images. The movie could use more humor, but the performances are engaging.

I'm not familiar with Almodóvar's work, so maybe this wasn't the best introduction. Despite solid performances and neat direction, I found it too reliant on melodrama to really engage with it. It feels like an overlong episode of a daytime TV soap opera.

a cast of characters are propelled through a plot. if you're going to make a movie like that, you really need to make the characters somewhat empathetic lest the viewer lose interest in the story, and these ones aren't, especially the two old men.

Abraços partidos estreava há 15 anos em Barcelona. Me identifico tão mais com o Almodóvar dos anos 80, dito isso, seus filmes da maturidade são maravilhosos como cinema. YTS.

As a thriller it is a failure. You can solve the mystery and predict the twists right away. As a drama it is great. Characters are alive and compelling. I often struggle to explain why I liked the film, but I know it is good because it leaves something inside. This is one of those films. Nothing fancy, nothing explosive, but stays with you for quite some time. Also, it is filled with love for movies, something I easily relate to.

Almodóvar, irrelevant as always.

An overwrought melodrama with shockingly bad soap-opera acting and terrible expository dialogue, only redeemed by nice cinematography and a mildly interesting unfolding of the plot.

Fascinating, intriguing and I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Almodvar's wandering camera.

"Old-hat tropes under a superficially stunning veneer." - Nick Schager

Almodóvar lost his nerve when he acquired expensive technique. Inspired by Buñuel and De Palma, he used to match them. Now, his once underground satires are just expensive tearjerkers.

"Los Abrazos Rotos", the latest Movie by Pedro Almodovar is another colorful and visually stunning masterpiece with a perfect cinematography (there is a scene with a drop of water that drips on a tomatoe, just wonderful) Penelope Cruz is indescribably beautiful ( almost always ) and outacts her male fellows.The Movie ends with a sentence that speaks out of my heart.Like a fact that seems to be long forgotten. Watch the Movie and you'll know what I mean. Spanish cinema at it's best as hoped for!

Colourful and entertaining.

Certainly Almodovar's most relentlessly self-referential film (Girls and Suitcases, the extended self-parody of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown within the film is probably my favorite thing about it, which sort of says it all), although relatively joke-free and dramatically convoluted enough that he's never felt closer to mid-period Egoyan territory (replete with non-linear chronology and use of home video footage, no less).

Almodovar's twisting tale of filmmaking and revenge is bursting with colors that belie the darkness of the story. Movies within the movie and characters who change names (and personas) lend extra dimension to the serpentine plot. Almodovar also uses many clever devices to reveal his opinions about the director and his role in the movie industry.

One of the most beautiful film's i've seen in a while (and that's not even factoring in Pelelope Cruz). It slips heavy into melodrama in the last 30 minutes, which I'm not even so sure is a bad thing, but has enough poignant subtleties to even it out.

Even when floundering a bit, no one produces films that are vividly alive like Almodóvar does. After zippy introductions, he gradually but noticeably stops infusing imagination into the story and starts falling back on rote characterizations, motivations, and developments. It looks great--thanks to the striking cinematography of Rodrigo Prieto--and Almodóvar is enlivened by the art of framing an image, but he lacks similar passion for seeing his story through in a satisfying fashion.

Like Volver, this is a pretty straight (no pun intended) soap opera from Almodovar. But unlike Volver, Penelope Cruz's character and the story in general is not as interesting. There are certain questions that film presents in the beginning (how did Harry lose his sight? What's his relationship with his agent?), but the film doesn't make you want to know the answers to them and when you get the answers it's a let down.