Meandering in Melodrama

Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Starring Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar & Blanca Portillo

**/5

A dead Cruz sparkles, while the rest is just so many soap suds

**Spoiler Alert

With a title that denotes a painful loss of tenderness and a color scheme that screams fire engine passion, Almodovar’s latest film distracts itself and viewers from substance with lengthy, ineffectual fuss. It is assumed that one cares for each character and in turn all their varied whims and conflicts. In truth, however, it’s hard to relate to half-truths present here.

Akin to seemingly split personalities, Embraces is more than one movie combined to form a cinematic hodge podge. On one hand, gorgeous part-time hooker Lena (Penelope Cruz) becomes mistress to her day-time boss Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez), only to pursue an almost obligatory dream of acting and fall for her director, Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar). Typical theatrics follow hence. Love is made, deceptions are maintained and climax comes in Lena suffering a series of vengeful punishments by Martel, ending in her death.

The other film here tells the cheerfully solemn tale of Harry Caine, a film director turned blind script writer. He struggles to reconcile events that have brought him to present and in so doing ruined his last feature, Girls and Suitcases. By regularly delving into his past with captive audience/employees Diego (Tamar Novas) and Judit (Blanca Portillo), Caine comes to realize that Suitcases’ failure stemmed not from personal inability but outright sabotage. He then re-edits the film to much ado.

The ultimate truth here is that Blanco and Caine are the same man. His filmmaking and love affair(s) are apparently inextricably tied to one another – much to his or at least his sight’s disadvantage. Still, viewers are made to believe that every loss was worth it because his (physical) love for Lena was so magnificent. Ironic then that Blanco/Caine himself proves any fiery adoration – even one that robbed him of directorial power – can be forgotten given enough time and the right passerby.

Characters are disingenuous yet everything expected. Martel is vilified in proper love affair fashion as an old (Blanco is no young buck either), infinitely wealthy and influential tyrant. Judit dutifully strives to assist Blanco but is in fact responsible for his misfortunes due to uncontrollable jealousy. Her son Diego, in a desperate twist, is even declared a product of Blanco’s loins. Worse still, there are others as inconsequential as they are ridiculous. Ernesto Jr. (Ruben Ochandiano) aka Ray X plays two roles – a closeted, pimpled bob a la Anton Chiguhr behind a camera and a wanton adult collectively loathed and ignored by the cast.

As a director sometimes chided for his consistent inclinations toward women, Almodovar in Embraces feels chauvinistic in pervasive male egocentrism. Only the dilemmas of men appear resolved, while femininity either suffers in silence or is a token for laughs. Still, the film falls flat without Cruz onscreen. Dialogue is aplenty, but hers packs the only punches. A corpse, however, or even a pretty memory cannot carry this picture alone. Almodovar may do well to follow his hero’s example in reworking an ardently lackluster work of second-rate drama.