Pain and Glory

Composite Score: 86.83

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, César Vicente, Asier Flores, and Penélope Cruz

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Writer: Pedro Almodóvar

Genres: Drama, Autobiography

MPAA Rating: R for drug use, some graphic nudity, and language

Box Office: $37.36 million worldwide

My take on Watching This Film:

                Pain and Glory is Pedro Almodóvar’s “auto-fiction” film about a declining filmmaker whose return to the film scene with the restoration of one of his first films, Sabor (Flavor), causes him to reflect on his past and reconnect with some estranged characters from throughout it. The film stars Antonio Banderas in an Oscar-nominated performance as director Salvador Mallo, Asier Etxeandia as actor and occasional nemesis Alberto Crespo, Leonardo Sbaraglia as Mallo’s former boyfriend Federico Delgado, César Vicente as Eduardo the carpenter and painter from Salvador’s childhood home, Penélope Cruz as Salvador’s childhood mother Jacinta, and Asier Flores as Salvador in his childhood. In addition to Banderas’s nomination, the film also was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. It is considered one of the best films of the 2010s and one of the best films by the acclaimed Spanish director.

                Pain and Glory finds success at almost every juncture: Its screenplay is creative and subtle; Almodóvar’s direction remains impeccable, Banderas gives a heartfelt and physical leading performance, the themes, both metatextual and surface level, engage the mind and emotions, and the supporting cast do phenomenal jobs in the roles that they are called to do. The biggest critique you could bring against this film is its own fear of bringing resolution to any of the stories – a highly understandable flaw, given the film’s nature as a story that draws heavily on the writer/director’s own life and experiences, which have not yet come to an end. Were it released in a less stacked year than 2019, the film could easily have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay, been in the running for a directing nomination, and possibly even pulled supporting nominations for Exteandia and Cruz, possibly even winning Actor and certainly winning Best International Feature. It is a powerhouse of a film that celebrates Almodóvar’s life, work, and passions without ever feeling too self-indulgent or even overtly self-aware. The film’s most tongue-in-cheek moments are always housed in scenes of sincerity, lending a sense of realism to the self-reflection. It’s a fascinating film to watch because we so rarely (The Fabelmans being probably the other great recent example) get to see a director grapple so publicly with the ways that his life have impacted his works. He’s constantly inviting the audience to explore it along with him and often comes across as even more critical of himself than any audience could ever be. It’s a cool and unique film that will probably carry even more weight if and when the auteur finally calls it quits.

                Pedro Almodóvar’s self-reflective auto-fiction film, Pain and Glory, earns a position among the greats thanks to excellence across the board; from story to themes to acting, it offers some of the best examples of filmmaking of the century so far. The biggest downside of the film is that the director hesitates to provide closure for a story that he himself has not finished living, which will inevitably leave some viewers dissatisfied, but for me, the experience was thoroughly enjoyable. You can currently stream this film on Amazon Prime Video if you’d like to give it a shot in the coming days.