Los abrazos rotos
Tags: revenge, neo noir, realism, romantic, melodrama

Plot synopsis:
"Harry Caine" is a blind writer who shares his life with his agent Judit and her adult son, Diego. Slowly, events in the present begin to bring back memories of the past. Harry hears that millionaire Ernesto Martel has died; a young filmmaker, Ray X, appears and turns out to be Martel's son, Ernesto, Jr. After Diego is hospitalized for an accidental drug overdose in a Madrid nightclub, Harry collects Diego from the hospital and looks after him to avoid worrying his traveling mother. The main storyline is told in flashback as Harry reluctantly tells Diego a tragic tale of fate, jealousy, abuse of power, betrayal, and guilt.
The first flashback is to 1992, which introduces Magdalena "Lena" Rivero, Martel's beautiful young secretary, an aspiring actress. She becomes close to Martel, a millionaire financier, in order to find the money to help meet her dying father's medical bills. By 1994, she has become Martel's mistress. At this time, Harry is still living under his real name, Mateo Blanco, a well-respected film director. Martel is excessively possessive of Lena, but she is determined to become an actress and manages to win the main role in Blanco's film Chicas y maletas (Girls and Suitcases) by bringing Martel in as financier/producer. (The fictional film is similar to Almodóvar's 1988 release, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, except that the Shiite terrorists have been replaced by a cocaine dealer; several of the cast of the previous film appear in the fictional one.) Martel spies on Lena and Mateo by sending his inhibited, effeminate gay son, Ernesto, Jr., to videotape the production of the film, ostensibly for a "making of" feature, then hiring a lip-reader to interpret the conversations. Martel, seething with jealousy, screens the videos as the lip-reader narrates the furtive whispers of Lena and Mateo's passionate affair.
Furious, Martel confronts Lena, and when she threatens to leave him he pushes her down the stairs. But when she survives the fall, he relents and nurses her back to health. The filming completed, Lena and Blanco escape Martel's hold and go on holiday to Lanzarote. Lena takes a job as a hotel receptionist to pass the time. When she and Blanco read in El País that Chicas y maletas has received a terrible critical reception, likely the end of Blanco's directing career, they determine to start over together far from Madrid. Fate intervenes when Blanco is seriously injured and Lena is killed in a car accident, which ironically is immortalized by Ernesto Jr., who has been trailing them with his camcorder. Mateo loses his sight permanently. Judit, his long-time production assistant, and an 8-year-old Diego arrive to help Blanco pick up the pieces and return to Madrid, where he eventually writes screenplays in braille under the pseudonym Harry Caine, represented by his agent, Judit.
The story picks up where it began in 2008: Harry shares his birthday in a bar with Judit and Diego. Judit becomes drunk on gin and, stricken with guilt, confesses to Harry that she sold out to Martel in 1994 because of her fury at Harry for abandoning the film to run away with Lena; she also tells him of her involvement in providing Martel the phone number of the hotel in Lanzarote where Lena and Mateo were hiding. She confirms that Martel sabotaged the release of Chicas y maletas by using the worst take from each scene in order to destroy Mateo's reputation. The next morning she reveals to Diego that Harry is actually his father, a fact both men were unaware of. Having exorcised some of his demons, Harry decides to return to his life as Mateo Blanco. Though believed lost, the original reels of Chicas y maletas and Ernesto Jr.'s camcorder footage are recovered: Judit had ignored Martel's order to destroy them and instead hid them away. Mateo and Diego re-edit the film for its long-delayed release as the director envisioned it.

Review: In Madrid , Harry Caine (Luis Homar) is a blind screenwriter and ex-filmmaker , long time ago was still known by his real name , Mateo Blanco , he is helped by Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Navas) .
The main cast is frankly extraordinary , as Luís Homar as a blind writer who reaches this moment in time , but the sad past returns ; Penélope Cruz as the gorgeous Lena ; and José Luis Gómez as the jealous and obsessive Ernesto.
The motion picture was well directed by Pedrro Almodóvar , considered to be the most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel .He often uses symbolism and metaphorical techniques to portray circular storylines .His films often portrays strong female characters and transsexuals and he has directed one Oscar nominated performance: Penélope Cruz in Volver (2006) .
With the release of his 17th feature film, "Los Abrazos Rotos" (Broken Embraces) Almodovár tells the tale of a blind film director (Lluis Omar) and how he came to lose not only his sight, but also the love of his life (Penelope Cruz).
Almodovar keeps making the exact same films year after year.The "hero" of Broken Embraces is a Spanish screenwriter (Lluis Homar, who played the older priest in Bad Education) who calls himself Harry Caine (a mixture of fictional character Harry Palmer and the actor playing him, Michael Caine, or possibly a play on how Italians and Spaniards phonetically pronounce the English word "hurricane").
As the mystery surrounding his past unravels, flashbacks are used to depict a "happier" time, when he could still see, was known as Mateo Blanco and tried to make his last film, on the set of which he met and fell in love with actress Lena (Penélope Cruz), who unfortunately was involved with another, more powerful man...It's easy to see why people choose to dislike the film: they're right, there's nothing really original in the screenplay (the "solution" to the mystery is easy to guess), in fact Almodovar seems to be going on autopilot, hitting the melodrama button without bothering to make sure he's doing it the right way.
But that doesn't mean he never does a good job: visually, Broken Embraces is as enchanting as Volver, and if there's one thing the director hardly ever gets wrong, it's casting: Penélope Cruz is beautiful and convincingly vulnerable at the same time, Homar elicits enough sympathy as Mateo/Harry, and the "villain" of the piece (José Luis Gomez) is acceptably solid.As for the self-referential streak in Almodovar's production (there's at least one in-joke in every film), he really hits gold this time, with fake footage of Mateo's lost film coming off as a clever pastiche of earlier hit Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which starred his other muse Carmen Maura.
With the support of a reader of lips, the jealous and obsessive Martel daily falls each step of Lena with tragic consequences for the couple of lovers."Los Abrazos Partidos" is another magnificent film of the talented Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who is among my favorite contemporary directors.
You can still find a couple movie mistakes in anachronisms or factual errors -like mixing GBH and MDMA liquid drugs one after another, which will cause to golden hit and kills you, instead of giving you a girlishly fainting- yet the plot has no serious flaw as far as I realize.Mainly together with 4 supporting actors and actresses, the film drew 6 different schemes for each character.
A now blind writer remembers his past as a director with a different name who had a great love affair with his leading lady (Penelope Cruz, beautiful and wonderful as always), much to the fury of her powerful, industrialist sugar-daddy.
Pedro Almodovar's latest, "Broken Embraces," is like a high-class telenovela for the art-house crowd.Its love triangle - involving a film director (Lluis Homar), his gorgeous lead actress (Penelope Cruz) and her elderly, abusive boyfriend (Jose Luis Gomez) who's financing the film on which they're working - spans the period from 1994 to 2008.
The intricately plotted narrative unravels like a conventional mystery story, with clues being dropped in at key moments and character connections and motivations becoming ever more clearly defined as the movie goes on.This isn't prime Almodovar, by any means, but the customary florid melodrama, color-rich palette and elegant direction make it a worthy addition to the director's oeuvre..
In warm saturated colors and touches of French film noir, Almodovar shows one tragic yet optimistic tale of a blind screenwriter/director who falls in love with his leading actress.When the end credits began to roll, I was still in the movie not wanting out.
Added to that list is now "Los abrazos rotos" ("Broken Embraces"), focusing on a man's coming to terms with the relationships that he has had with people.The main character is writer Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar), who has been going by the name Harry Caine ever since he lost his sight.
when it comes to Pedro Almodovar's cinema there's always an ocean of red and black combination.and of course Penelope Cruz beauty.as she ages it's like she gets more beautiful and dominates the silver screen.I find story telling a bit in a hurry.The crossings between events could be slower not sharp.there are some Hitchcockian moments like when two cars go one after another with headlights and the moment when Ernesto pushes Lena.director makes you feel like you are there among the characters but when director gets you out of there with scenes from above it's like you are dragged out of movie.towards the end plot gets unnecessarily complicated.do we really need to know that Mateo is Diego's true father?
This film is about a movie director's healing and closure for a tragedy that happened years earlier."Broken Embraces" is visually appealing to look at, as every scene is thoughtfully composed.
Pedro Almodóvar is a brilliant director and, with the exception of La Mala Educación, I have liked his films very much, mainly because of their realism, which feels as a complaint against humanity, instead of the simple and hollow entertainment we are accustomed to see in Hollywood cinema.Now, with the magnificent Broken Embraces, I think Almodóvar has made his best film to date.Almodóvar's direction in this film is full of passion, and his precise work is mostly noticed on the extraordinary performances from the cast.Penélope Cruz is truly amazing, and the same applies to Lluís Homar.José Luis Gómez and Blanca Portillo also bring perfect works.I also enjoyed the references Almodóvar made to various classics of worldwide cinema very much.The references I am talking about are not only found on the story (which rounds on the world of cinema), but also on naughty moments which duplicate famous scenes from classic films (I recognized homages to directors Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Luis Buñuel).However, Broken Embraces is not only a "greatest hits".Those homages are perfectly integrated to the phenomenal screenplay, which has a lot of impact and intensity.Broken Embraces is a true masterpiece, and it deserves a very enthusiastic recommendation, because this is one of those gems the seventh art brings to us on some occasions.I think this is Almodóvar's most mature and polished work to date, and I am very interested in seeing how his career will follow after this extraordinary film..
Broken Embraces felt like an altogether more restrained and toned down affair.The usual Almodovar themes of love, sex and death are revisited in this film and there are some beautifully written and acted scenes around all three of these subjects.While Penelope Cruz shone in the role of Lena, it was,unusually for a Pedro film, a male lead that stood out for me - Lluis Homer as Mateo / Harry was strong, credible and engrossing throughout.A strong cast in support with excellent performances from Blanco Portillo as Judit and Tamer Noves notable as Diego, Judit's son.There were a couple of points in the film where I felt that we were building up to the conclusion, particularly after the scenes in Lanzarote only for the film to press on for a number of additional scenes.
This, however, doesn't suit the rich old Martel, who has Lena against her better judgment as his mistress, and only agrees to let her star in the movie if he gets to be producer.That and, so it goes, having his nebbish would-be-Peeping-Tom-with-a-camera son follow Mateo and Lena around behind the scenes to tape every move - which is, of course, an intense affair blooming between star and director.
There's a lot that Cruz can do with Lena and she makes all the wise choices as she makes her one of Almodovar's most vulnerable but strong-minded and loving women in his films.Broken Embraces is about, as they say, love lost and a haunted past, and every moment is believable even as we might question what is really going on or being revealed.
But Harry Caine had a previous life, in this other life he was a successful movie director and his name was Mateo Blanco.The movie is essentially a continuous flashback showing what happen in this other life and why Mateo started to live a different life and became Harry Caine.This Spanish thriller-noir is interesting,the story is quite engaging and original and what setting, if not movie sets, would be more appropriated for a story like this to take place.Here you'll see love,lust,obsession,vengeance, all this wrapped into a nicely done thriller.And I wonder if this isn't, as well, a little homage to film-making by Almodóvar.The cinematography is great and the movie was well acted,specially the lovely Penélopez Cruz who delivered a great performance.Lluís Homar shined as well.
People die and are reborn or change identities, and it's all fun, more or less, and gorgeous and shallow and rooted in a mix of genre plots of bygone decades, with references to Douglas Sirk and Jules Dassin, among others.There's the theme of "duplication" and a "noir" triangle, and a woman thrown down a marble staircase as in 'Leave Her to Heaven' and 'Kiss of Death.' And there are references to Minelli and Billy Wilder, 'Some Come Running' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and Giuietta Massina and 'La Strada.' We know all these are in there because Almodóvar says so in the press notes -- though a page seems to be missing.Martel's death starts the plot rolling, and Harry/s former production director Judit (Blanca Portillo), who will wear out her welcome later, seems very upset at this news.
And it seems Ernesto Senior was onto the fact that Lena wasn't just working for Mateo as star of his film, 'Girls and Suitcases' (it sounds funnier in Spanish, 'Chicas y maletas') but was messing around with him, as a lip reader (Lola Duenas) revealed to the old man when he watched his son's surveillance videos.Almódovar has a sense of humor.
Blind man and former director Harry Caine (Homar) recites his last days before his blindness when he was promising another film production.After being captivated by Volver and All about my mother, I was inclined to try this other dramatic drama from renowned family drama from a master of the genre Pedro Almodovar, and again the famous Oscar winner dives deep within the confines of supposed happy marriages and creates a dramatic but not too soap styling film that produces eccentric performances and epitomises the nature of the lives and issues of family members.Almodovar's regular star Penelope Cruz is once more elaborate and dramatic in her showcasing of a young woman desperate to succeed as an actress but wishing and desiring for a happy life emotionally from her husband.
There is a tendency to be drawn right to the centre of his stories and whilst the character attachment isn't as precise as say Volver there is an emotional hard hitter in the final third.Performances from Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo et all are all enough to develop the plot in a strong and meaningful way that generates sadness but also an attached captivation within a troubled love story.There are your typical twists and intrigue as typical director and whilst if you watch too many of his films there is a slight feeling of repetition but there is no questioning this 2009 picture fulfils its purposes as a drama and a class act to entertain, shock and project important life issues to its viewers..
And again, it stars Penelope Cruz, whom he starred in "Volver." Instead of channeling Sophia Loren this time, for the purposes of the film within a film, she's like Audrey Hepburn.A blind screenwriter, Harry Caine (Lluís Homar), lives in Madrid and is helped in his daily activities by Judit and her son, Diego, whom he has known for years.When he learns of that businessman Ernesto Martel has died, it brings him back to the past.In the 1990s and before he was blinded, Harry went under his real name of Mateo Blanco and worked as a director.
Harry Caine, the blind alter ego of former film director Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar), retells the story of his one true love Lena (Penélope Cruz).
This revelation actually brought me to think, that something similar must have happened to "Broken Embraces", a movie plodding at a snail's pace with side events seemingly attached to ruthlessly extend runtime and featuring some terrible performances, especially by Blanca Portillo (who plays Mateo's / Harry's agent) and Rubén Ochandiano.
The performance by Penelope Cruz is outstanding and yet her role is not the center of attention, instead, the entire cast plays an important role within the plot and each actor delivers a perfect execution of their character.Los Abrazos Rotos follows the same theme about characters dealing with their past that we have seen in Almodovar's recent films.
In fact, It is the ability to create a trademark movie type and yet give the viewer something new and original with every new creation that make Almodovar the film genius that he is considered.Los Abrazos Rotos is a near perfect union of an intriguing plot, outstanding character development, beautiful cinematography, complex screenplay, and superb acting, just what we've come to expect from Almodovar..
Penélope Cruz is extraordinarily fine as Lena, the female crux of the conflicts, Lluís Homar is the central writer director Mateo Blanco / Harry Caine, Blanca Portillo is the important but enigmatic Judit García, José Luis Gómez plays the center of evil Ernesto Martel, and the rest of the cast is also filled with fine actors.
Mateo Blanco (Luís Homar) is a film director who is blind from an accident and since his career has been lost he too loses his name and now goes by 'Harry Caine.' He still employs a personal assistant and publicist Judit (Blanca Portillo) who takes care of him , his household and business transactions along with her adult son Diego (Tamar Novas).
The story concerns a once successful film director turned writer who was originally known as Mateo Blanco (played by Luis Homar),who, when blinded in an automobile accident,changed his name to Harry Caine.
Harry is telling his story about working with the beautiful actress, Lena (played by Penelope Cruz,who the camera is in love with, as well as the audience),who takes a real shine to Mateo (and vice versa),despite the fact that she is already married to an older,controlling man,Ernesto Martel (played by Spanish screen veteran,Jose Luis Gomez),who is also the executive producer of Mateo's most recent (and last) film, a comedy titled 'Girls & Suitcases'.
In Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces a now-blind filmmaker recounts his love affair with an old actress/muse (Penelope Cruz).
A character blinded by his love caresses an image from an old video camera projected on wall as if Almodóvar is also longing for the significance of his early years in film, wanting to regress.This is a great movie for students if not necessarily for the ages.
Almodovar one of the best storytellers out there with films under his belt like "Tell No One" and "Volver", has again touched on the essence of what makes us tick-including our dark sides.He uses his muse Penelope Cruz once again and she delivers over and over again.
Harry denies Ray's offer and Ray angrily leaves, leading us to believe a thriller is about to break out where Ray is a psycho-stalker.There are a few plot twists, flashbacks to 1992 where Harry (still with vision) is directing a film with Lena as his star, and a love triangle that turns violent but "Embraces" feels like Almodovar is going through a lot of trouble for what amounts to very little.
The constant time shifts, too many characters figuring into the plot (Mateo's manager and her son among them), the thriller elements that never materialize into anything exciting, the tragic love story, and secrets (most of which predictable) finally revealed are all supposed to figure into why Harry eventually made just a sub-par film.
The film is gorgeously shot, making Cruz, look sensational, and highlighting the power of romance in the second half.This movie will stay with you, probably making you wonder what you think is different this time, why it feels less like one of his previous efforts, and that is exactly the point: here is a master who doesn't shy away from trying new things, changing his approach, but never leaving his style behind, and he always trusts his audience they will understand where that the story is the most important part of the game..
They either fight for men or against them.Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar), the main male character, is caught between a rock and a hard place, when he has to direct a film produced by Ernesto Martel, Penelope's Cruz lover, and staring Lena, whom Mateo is in love with.
Broken Embraces is a Spanish romantic thriller that features an ensemble cast consisting of many Pedro Almodóvar regulars such as Lluís Homar,who portrays as the blind screenwriter from Madrid called Harry Caine,who recalls his tragic love for Lena.She is played by Penélope Cruz, the deceased lead actress in his last directional feature Girls and Suitcases, who was also the mistress of a powerful, obsessive businessman.