Dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 104 mins Cast:
Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Javier Cámera, Daniel Giménez-Cacho Pedro Almodóvar has never been one to shy away from controversy or sex in his films.
They are usually a combination of black humour coupled with graphic sexual content. Stylishly shot, and in fact, probably as close to the painting of a story as you'll get in cinematic terms.
From the opening credits, you know that Bad Education will be nothing less than highly visual. This is no surprise as Almodóvar has teamed up with Director of Photography, Jose Luis Alcaine, for the first time in 13 years (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down). The Director credits Alcaine for his ability to "sense, guess, smell the atmosphere that goes best with the story."
Add to it the beautiful art direction of Antxón Gomez (working on his forth collaboration with the director), and music by Alberto Iglesias that doesn't merely accompany the film, but dresses it - and you won't suffer from sensory deprivation.
The story itself is an intriguing, layered film noir, set around the story of two reunited school friends - a heady tale that mixes sexual fantasy and manipulation, with murder, the priesthood and transvestites.
Enrique Goded (Martinez) is an acclaimed young film director struggling to find an idea for his next movie. One day, his old school friend, Ignacio Rodríguez (Bernal) arrives at his office. Enrique doesn't recognise Ignacio initially as he has not seen him for 16 years, but does remember his former lover with both love and pain.
Jealous Father Manolo, the head priest, expelled Ignacio from their school after he finds him with his protégé, Enrique, in a suspicious situation in the dormitory toilet.
Now an actor, Ignacio has written a screenplay based on his school days, which he offers to Enrique for his next project. The story covers their mutual love and sees his grown up character, now a drug addicted transvestite, and expose the priest's impropriety with the choirboys.
However, while Ignacio wants to play the transvestite Angel in this film, Enrique is reticent to allow this beefcake, unknown actor play the part.
Eventually, after much manipulation by both characters, Enrique relents, and the shooting begins. The film within this film is the story of sexual abuse, love and murder, and unfolds within the love and revenge of the movie itself. Sound complicated? Well, yes it is!
Almodóvar has taken over ten years to write this script, and didn't find his ending until he had finished editing. However, this doesn't detract from his extrovert story.
It has a sly wit and features controversial themes, including the director's own observations gained from his boyhood experiences of church education. Though he is at pains to point out that he is not taking "revenge" on the clergy - he wouldn't have waited so long.
The gay love scenes in the film are the most explicit Almodóvar has ever shot, and yet they are not at all distasteful, and often full of his trademark wicked sense of humour.
In the two male leads, he has chosen well. For two straight actors to play these roles is testament to their acting abilities.
Martinez 's talents will already be familiar to Almodóvar fans, having played Alfredo in Talk to Her . However, Mexican Gael Garcia Bernal will be less familiar.
He takes both the roles of Ignacio and transvestite Angel in his stride and portrays them with great confidence - especially the difficult "gay love" scenes. With this movie and the forthcoming The Motorcycle Diaries , where he plays a young Che Guevara, he is going to be catapulted into the media spotlight. And is definitely an actor with a big future.
Meanwhile, Almodóvar continues to deliver colourful and original stories, directed and written with the flair of a postmodern artist, and in a style that you would never see in a Hollywood film. Viva Espana!
Mark Arnold
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