Los abrazos rotos

Six months late, due to the fact that I live in the States, I finally watched Los abrazos rotos, Pedro Almodóvar’s last film. I saw it in a movie theater (rare happening to working moms) with some friends, one Spanish, and the other three Americans. The hated the movie. I didn’t. I don’t think it was his best movie, but at least it is still much better than 90% of the stuff that’s released around here. I liked the story, and the photography. Those moonish shots of Lanzarote are beautiful. There are just so many new themes you can treat in a movie. Maybe people are used to Almodóvar exploring the darkest nooks of life. He doesn’t here, it’s just another movie about the same old triangle. But I think the actors do a pretty good job, even Penelope Cruz, whom I am growing to like (i didn’t like her until Volver, among other things because she has a pretty annoying voice, which tone Almodovar helped her control). I love how Lluis Homar portrays your typical Spanish middle aged guy, and how he doesn’t let the blindness of the character drive the movie.
The fact that the director uses parts of the screenplay of Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, the movie that made him worldwide famous, is very interesting, specially when he changes some of the plot points. Daring to pay homage to himself is brave of him. So is the fact that takes his characters out of his geographical comfort zone, flying them to Lanzarote.
It is definitely a movie worth seeing, and I will need a second screening, once it comes out in DVD, to be able to appreciate the little detail, which is what usually makes Almodóvar a genius. I may be becoming American, since I appear to agree with most American critics, but not with my filmie (to movies what foodies are to food) friends. Go watch it.