Poem

A trancendance between the good and bad of life,
A pebble is always held
For a special moment, a release,
Will come and has come
But still there is a retention, in case
Something better might come along.

What if something does not come?
And there is a permanent, grotesque vanity
Assured to some basic level.

But what if thrown away too soon?
You'll never know what could of been
Unhappiness will ensue to the defeat,
Of a non earthly soul.

Broken Embraces Film Review

The latest Almadovar offering is much like his other works, about sex, time and change. These themes encapsulate in all of the characters. In particular in Lena (Penelope Cruz) and Matteo Blanco (Lluis Homar). The plot is simple, a narrative of events that happened in two whirlwind love affairs 14 years ago.

A plot that is laced with the usual surreal mix of fiction and sub-fiction, which embeds itself with a film within a a film. The change is sometimes subtle: Lena adopting a Monroe toupe, sometimes obvious: Matteo going blind after a car accident but change is always there, whatever the form, propelling the movie and the lives of the characters forward.

However, the recounting of why there was a name change causes a subversion of the idea of progressive time. It is during that tale of many years ago (another typical Almadover trait) that redemption is found the forgiveness happens at Matteo's birthday evening out, bringing the film to its cresendo, although for some, forgiveness is sought, but never given.