Pedro Almodovar’s exquisite new film is a thought-provoking examination of the moral quagmire of an artist using a close friend’s tragedy as fodder for his latest project. Leonardo Sbaraglia plays Raul, the celebrated film director working on a new screenplay. He hasn’t made a film in 5 years and his loyal assistant Monica (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), who has been with Raul for 20 years, is taking a sabbatical for personal reasons.
Raul has set his latest screenplay in 2004 and it concerns a former film director/turned ad executive- Elsa (Barbara Lennie). She suffers severe migraines and what appears to be panic attacks (especially now that it is Christmas and the crowds and noise make her anxious and she is still reeling from her mother’s death a year before). While her devoted fireman/stripper boyfriend Bonifacio (Patrick Criado) is always attentive and loving, she decides to escape to a resort on the almost moonscape island of Lanzarote with her girlfriend Patricia (Victoria Luengo) and her young son, when Patricia becomes convinced her husband is cheating on her. There, looking out at the pool and cactuses, Elsa becomes invigorated and begins to write a script for a new film, but the fact that she uses Patricia’s personal marital struggles as part of the plot rankles her friend to the core. At the same time director Raul’s script use of his assistant Monica’s friend’s recent tragedy causes Monica to react with fury and hurt.
With typical warmth, humor and staggering art direction, the film is a reverie on artistic freedom, but also on friendship, loyalty, and love. With a remarkable cast, and a gorgeous score by Alberto Iglesias the film achieves many moments of delicate, heartbreaking poetry.
