A One Mann’s Movies review of “Pain and Glory” (2019).
Bob the Movie Man’s Rating:
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R.
“Pain and Glory” is the latest movie from Pedro Almodóvar who’s probably best known in the UK for “Julieta” and “The Skin I Live In”. This was a big hit in Cannes so I was interested to see it. I was surprised and impressed then that it was chosen by Cineworld as an “Unlimited” screening. A brave choice. (“Subtitles? Subtitles? I don’t do subtitles!!!”).
That back of beyond feeling. Young Salvador (an excellent Asier Flores) arrives at his new home. (Source: El Deseo).
The plot…
…unfurls in a slow and dreamlike way in much the same way as “Roma” did. Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) is a famous film director with an early retirement forced on him by a catalogue of pain and illness (topped up – you feel – with a significant dose of apathy and laziness). A restoration of his classic film – “Sabor” – gives him the opportunity to reengage with the film’s star Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), Crespo is a heroin-addicted actor with whom Mallo has held a professional grudge for 32 years since shooting ‘Sabor’.
Introduced to “dragon chasing”, Mallo finds himself, under the influence of the heroin, more clearly remembering his early life with mother Jacinta (Penelope Cruz). And his relationship with Crespo progressively brings other aspects of his past life crashing into his present state of inactive sickly stupor.
Crespo (Asier Etxeandia) and Mallo (Antonio Balderas) reflecting on life. (Source: El Deseo).
Slow… but never dull.
The storytelling is about as slow and lazy as Mallo, so it won’t appeal to action movie lovers. But I was never bored for a minute, and was never sure which direction writer/director Almodóvar (as he now self-styles himself in titles) might take it. What are the motivations of Mallo with Crespo? Reconciliation? Revenge?
Ultimately, Crespo is just a sub-plot linking to two other fascinating sub-plots, before a surprising and totally satisfying final twist in the tale.
The ever lovely Penelope Cruz as Salvador’s mother, Jacinta. (Source: El Deseo).
Auto-biographical?
Given Almodóvar IS a famous Spanish film director and that he DID grow up in a poor rural part of Spain, you wonder how much of his soul is spread across this movie. From other interviews, I note that Banderas actually wore most of the director’s clothes, and filming took place inside the director’s own (beautiful) apartment.
It’s literally a movie that strikes close to home!
Banderas does more than “Puss in Boots”
The film is worth seeing for the performance of Antonio Banderas alone. He is simply brilliant. It’s no surprise that he won the Best Actor award at Cannes for this performance. It’s always risky to predict Oscar Best Actor nominations so early in the season, particularly when the actor is part of a subtitled Spanish language film. But I’m going to stick my neck out and do just that here.
Etxeandia is also fantastic, although felt mid-cast to me. The actor, born in 1975, would have only been 12 years old when allegedly “starring” in Mallo’s picture!
The pain is progressively taking him under. Banderas as Mallo. (Source: El Deseo).
But don’t confuse the audience!
If there’s a criticism it’s that a key character (played by Leonardo Sbaraglia) looks SO MUCH like Banderas that both myself and the illustrious ‘Mrs Movie-Man’ thought it was him! Which led to a hugely confusing dressing room ‘meeting scene’ with Crespo.
“Parental advisories”.
Just so you’re aware, there are significant scenes of drug-taking in this movie – mostly in the form of smoking heroin. There’s also a significant male frontal nudity scene….. tastefully done, but certainly one for the ladies (given the model is the Greek-God-like Cesar Vicente).
Finally, there’s a kiss which shouldn’t shock or surprise – in these more enlightened times – but manages to, just through its saliva-fuelled intensity!
Banderas, Cruz and Almodóvar: the toast of Cannes. (Source: El Deseo).
Yes, I know it’s subtitles, but….
This is a film REALLY worth seeing if you can find it when it appears on general release next week. A really thought-provoking tale of a man coming to terms with the state of his life in older age.
If you loved Alfonso Cuarón‘s “Roma“, I think you’ll also love this. This is a movie that has stuck with me since I saw it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed… but if you are, please comment!
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEjFOkCKb3g .
