Almodóvar Night

BCEA students got some in-depth insight into the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation, Pedro Almodóva,r in evening dedicated to his life and work so far led by BCEA´s very only Spanish Cinema fan Joanna.

The evening began with an overview of Almodóvar´s beginnings, and illustrated the very great influence that his family upbringing has had on his cinematic work.

We went on to watch Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios ( 1988) (Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) accompanied by palomitas ( popcorn).

The movie takes place in and around the tiny apartment of pregnant actress Pepa (Carmen Maura).

Distraught over her recent breakup with her married lover, fellow dubbing actor Iván, Pepa prepares to overdose with sleepign pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they´ll go down easier.

She is diverted from her suicide by the call for help from her best friend, Candela, a fugitive from justice ( her boyfriend is a shiíte terrorist) who needs a place to hide....

And the crazy plot continues, unravelling with a series of unreal Almodóvaresque coincidences which made us laugh at and sympathise with the characters. A young pre-Hollywood Antonio Banderas is her ex lover´s grown son!

For some of us this was a first introduction to Pedro´s work, and what a colorful and kitsch introduction! It left us very eager to see the rest of his films.

Five star!! *****