A Double Feature

Since Tuesday was such a rainy and yucky day, I stayed in and watched two movies but the great Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar. The first one I watched was Talk to Her, his 2002 film that won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It's the story of two men (Benigno and Marco) and the women they love (Alicia and Lydia) who are both in comas. The two men become close friends as they care for their loved ones. Benigno is a nurse who works in the hospital where the women are staying and Marco is a journalist. The friendship that blooms between the two men is beautiful and very touching. The movie is very sad and moving particularly the ending. Almodovar throws in some twists, but the viewer never is turned off by them or taken out of the story because we have already become so invested in these characters and their stories. There is an interlude where Benigno describes to Alicia a silent movie he saw about a female scientist and the male lover who shrinks when he drinks her new diet drug. It's a bizarre, funny, and transfixing black and white vignette that mirrors what's to come in the movie. A very memorable Shrinking Man. The other Almodovar movie I watched was 2004's seductive and grim Bad Education. Now this film is utterly fantastic. It's comedy, color, drama, sex, and controversy all rolled into one odd movie. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal as three characters: a tranny named Zahara and two brothers, Ignacio and Juan. The story begins when movie director, Enrique (Fele Martinez) is visited by his Catholic school lover, Ignacio who presents to him a story based on their childhood. Enrique starts to read it later that night, and it all comes back in flashbacks or so we think. It turns out Ignacio was sexually abused by one of the priests at the boys' Catholic school which leads to more flashbacks until everything is flipped on its head and we get the real story. The movie is fascinating, and Almodovar handles all the plot technicalities with skill and grace. Gael Garcia Bernal is wonderful in all the roles he plays especially as Zahara, the tranny. Overall, a wonderful movie. Highly Recommended.