Broken Embraces

Throughout his career Spanish director Pedro Almodovar has enthralled his audiences with unusual tales of human relationships. In his trademark palette of red, pink and orange his films have been defined by their occasional humour and heartfelt sincerity and his latest work is no exception. Teaming up again with Penelope Cruz, Broken Embraces incorporates elements of film noir and classic Hollywood (look out for the dramatic staircase sequence) to tell the story of a former film director who is forced to recall an old love affair when a figure from the past unexpectedly knocks on his door. For all its strengths there’s a sense that the complexity of the plot, which jumps back and forth between the past and the present, at times detracts a little from experiencing the characters' emotional turmoil. As a result Broken Embraces doesn’t quite have the emotive punch of Almodovar’s best (for example All About My Mother or Talk to Her) but it is still an immensely enjoyable work from one of the world’s most distinguished directors.