Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar) lives in a world absent of image. A once famed film director, Blanco has been making a living as a screenwriter under the name of Harry Caine since his sight was taken from him some years prior. His longtime assistant Judit (Blanca Portillo), with the help of her son Diego, aids Blanco with daily tasks ranging from housekeeping to his writing.
Life goes on as scheduled, until a dark figure from Mateo’s past — who, mind you, looks like a pubescent Anton Chigurh in scenes representing the past — shows up at his doorstep, creating memories in Mateo’s mind, panic in Judit’s heart and questions from her son.
As her son pesters her for answers, Judit takes a casting trip and leaves him to watch after Mateo. It is during this time that Diego finally gets a view of the past, as Mateo tells him the tale of his directing career, his involvement with Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) and Ernesto’s wife Lena (Penélope Cruz) — leading to his ultimate downfall.
Pedro Almodóvar is usually one to gather controversy and acclaim from his films. “Broken Embraces” doesn’t seem to fall into that line though. Although the film looks great, the plot isn’t all that interesting and tries to be way more complex than it actually is. When the film finally ends, its even less impressive of a story.
The acting is solid across the board. Penélope Cruz is as captivating as ever but fails to wow the audience in anyway — a year in which she was nominated for her performance in Rob Marshall’s “Nine.”
Blanca Portillo is, in my opinion, the most impressive performance. She is both secretive and outspoken when the time calls for it, showing her impressive sudden range. Although her alcohol-infused tell all towards the end of the film knocks her down a peg, her performance is sound nonetheless.
“Broken Embraces” tells a story that really didn’t need to be told. The characters are interesting and there are moments of real intrigue, but the overall attempt at cohesiveness is flawed and tedious. It has its charm here and there, but you’d be better to pick out another film from the Almodóvar catalogue.