Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)
With the loss of his wife and of his sight in a brutal car accident, an artist is reduced to a half of his talents, sacrificing the pseudonym Mateo Blance with which he makes films for his literary persona Harry Caine. When Diego, his secretary's son who is temporarily under his care, becomes ill, Harry Caine tells him the story of Mateo Blanco and the terrible events that took place more than a decade before. And so begins a tale of intruige, passionate love and desperation.
3.5 out of 5 based on 13 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Certificate |
|
| Genre |
Drama |
| Director |
Pedro Almadovar |
| Cast |
Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, José Luis Gómez, Rubén Ochandiano, Tamar Novas Penélope Cruz |
| Studio |
Pathe Distribution Limited UK |
| Release Date |
August 2009 |
| Running Time |
105 minutes |
| |
With the loss of his wife and of his sight in a brutal car accident, an artist is reduced to a half of his talents, sacrificing the pseudonym Mateo Blance with which he makes films for his literary persona Harry Caine. When Diego, his secretary's son who is temporarily under his care, becomes ill, Harry Caine tells him the story of Mateo Blanco and the terrible events that took place more than a decade before. And so begins a tale of intruige, passionate love and desperation.
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Reviews
The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
"In sets that deserve their own tie-in art exhibition – Almodóvar must be the most inventive colourist in film history – the emotional tempests play out... Second-best Almodóvar? It still beats the best of most European contemporaries. "
26/08/2009
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The Mirror
Mark Adams
"The film may lack great depth, but it is a visual treat about films within films and packed with top performances."
23/08/2009
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The Observer
Philip French
"Broken Embraces is a cool, melancholic movie, only occasionally funny, and highly erotic in a rather chilly manner. It's a film likely to reward several viewings because of its subtlety, though not, unlike Almodóvar's finest work, because of any particular affection we feel for the characters."
30/08/2009
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The Scotsman
Alistair Harkness
"Voyeurism, violence and some precarious high heels all feature, as do references aplenty to Almodóvar's early films and classic noirs. The effect is frantic and fun, but too self-involved to really connect."
28/08/2009
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
"Broken Embraces is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a slightly overindulgent parade of gushing film references – “You remind me of Peeping Tom!”, Homar says to the creepy filmmaker-voyeur who’s been stalking them, as if we hadn’t noticed. Almodóvar-wise, it’s not in a Talk to Her league, but it’s certainly in a Bad Education/Volver league, and by anyone else’s standards it’s still an impossibly succulent thing to behold."
27/08/2009
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The Times
Kevin Maher
"Pedro Almodóvar is a film-maker so innately talented that even when half-cocked, as he is in Broken Embraces, he can somehow produce a movie that is effortlessly superior to most features."
28/08/2009
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Time Out
Dave Calhoun
"While some of Almodóvar’s films are out-and-out heartbreakers – perfect storms of melodrama, storytelling and extreme living – this is a more cerebral, self-reflective and noir-ish affair. It’s part of his brilliance to tell wild stories without you even batting an eyelid. "
26/08/2009
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Variety
Jonathan Holland
"A restless, rangy and frankly enjoyable genre-juggler that combines melodrama, comedy and more noir-hued darkness than ever before, the pic is held together by the extraordinary force of Almodovar’s cinematic personality. But while its four-way in extremis love story dazzles, it never really catches fire. "
17/03/2009
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The New Statesman
Ryan Gilbey
"Broken Embraces is like a tenderly embalmed corpse - glossy, presentable and entirely lacking in vital signs. Any successes are almost exclusively in the area of design; the film is dead from the decor down."
27/08/2009
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The Independent on Sunday
Nicholas Barber
"Overall, the film is still a pleasure, and worth it for Cruz's scenes alone. But considering that the plot hinges on the editing of a film, it's ironic how much it could have been improved with some stricter editing of its own."
30/08/2009
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The Times
Wendy Ide
"This film about film-making is unexpectedly disengaged, uninvolving and reliant on big chunks of exposition to tie up the story."
29/08/2009
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The Sunday Times
Cosmo Landesman
"I know we’re all meant to be fascinated by the story of Pedro and his muse, Penelope, but, clearly, Almodovar takes this fascination for granted, for he makes no attempt to reach out and seduce his audience. Those two need to get out of their little bubble of mutual adoration. Broken Embraces is a complacent film by a film-maker who is suffering from too much praise."
30/08/2009
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The Daily Mail
Chris Tookey
"Pedro Almodovar's longest film is also among his least memorable. It marks a continuation of his infatuation with (a) bold primary colours and (b) Penelope Cruz. He is never happier than when dressing (b) in (a). Not for the first time, I found myself wondering whether Pedro might not be happier working in the wardrobe department.
"
28/08/2009
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