Feb 18: BROKEN EMBRACES

Never one to shy from Big Thinking, the great Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar explores his themes with gusto. This time, his characters include a blind filmmaker called Harry Caine, Caine’s former shady producer, the lover they once shared, and a vengeful fourth character. The shared lover, of course, is played by Penelope Cruz, Almodóvar’s muse.

This odd quartet intersects with Hitchcockian menace. Animated with Spanish desire, BROKEN EMBRACES is laced with entrapment, voyeurism, and films within films. It’s is a riveting, entertaining indulgence. No one does melodrama so consistently well as Almodóvar, and with Cruz in his sights, he obviously has much to live for.