The new Pedro Almodóvar film, PAIN AND GLORY is a study of acceptance, revelation and reconciliation; it is about cinema’s relationship with the past and its power to reshape memories as a means of coming to terms with it. This film is also Spain’s official entry for the best International Feature Film Oscar.
It has won two Cannes Film Festival Awards – Best Actor (Antonio Banderas) and Best Soundtrack (Alberto Iglesias). The nominations for the Academy Awards (Oscars) will be announced on 13 January 2020 and the official Academy Awards ceremony will take place on 9 February 2020.
Watch the trailer here:
Antonio Banderas gives the performance of his career as the aging filmmaker and onetime provocateur Salvador Mallo – a role for which he was outfitted with Almodóvar’s colourful shirts and high-tops. Sporting a salt-and-pepper beard and a shock of hair (not unlike Almodóvar’s), the actor seems to shrink and grow simultaneously, perfectly capturing both the strengths and weaknesses of his character.
Salvador is afflicted by multiple ailments, the worst of which is his inability to continue filming. Racked by pain, both physical and metaphysical, he has retreated into a depressive cycle. Explaining the reasoning behind this, the director said: “I know very intimately the fear that you might not be able to shoot because you’re not in the shape that it requires.”
A chance meeting puts him back in touch with an old collaborator, Alberto (Asier Etxeandia), who became estranged from Salvador during the making of their last film due to his drug addiction. Alberto hasn’t fully kicked his heroin habit, but it’s Salvador who is more at risk of falling into the lap of addiction. The pair’s newly rediscovered friendship is tested after a disastrous – and hilarious – drug-fuelled appearance at a screening of an old film of theirs.
After sneaking a look at a confessional monologue on Salvador’s laptop, Alberto convinces Salvador to let him perform the monologue as a one-man play. Salvador agrees, on the condition that he is not credited as the writer. This simple action sets in motion a chain of events which prompts a remarkable and tender reunion.
Fundamentally, PAIN AND GLORY has two tracks: The present, in which Salvador makes amends with Alberto and then promptly gets hooked on heroin which, mixed with his painkillers and generous helpings of alcohol, makes him drift further and further into his memories – the second track of the film.
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The flashbacks gradually reveal Salvador’s childhood with his mother, Jacinta (beautifully played in the flashbacks by Penelope Cruz), in their meagre, cave-like rural home. Special mention is due to Julieta Serrano, who magnificently presents Salvador’s mother in her 80s. In a moment of pin-sharp, bittersweet perfection she tells Salvador offhandedly that he was never a good son.
PAIN AND GLORY is distributed by Filmfinity (Pty) Ltd. and will be released in South African cinemas on 6 December 2019, but will be showcased at the European Film Festival from 30 November to 4 December as follows:
SOUNDCLOUD LINK MOVIE REVIEW (LEON VAN NIEROP): https://soundcloud.com/starburstpromotions/leon-van-nierop-pain-glory-review
JHB (SKT Rosebank Nouveau):
30 Nov at 20:45
4 Dec at 20:15
PTA ( SKT Brooklyn Nouveau)
1 Dec at 18:15
4 Dec at 20:00
CPT (SKT V&A Nouveau)
30 Nov at 20:15
4 Dec at 20:00
PAIN AND GLORY is Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s most personal and greatest film to date. It is a tale of memory, regret and making peace with his past. It blurs the line between art and life and mixes autobiography with fiction to powerful effect. As the title suggests, the result is a swirl of heartbreak and joy.
PAIN AND GLORY RELEASING ON 6 DECEMBER AT:
STER KINEKOR:
Rosebank Nouveau
Boorklyn Nouveau
V&A Nouveau
NU METRO
Hyde Park
V&A Waterfront
INDEPENDENT
Labia Orange St.
SOCIAL MEDIA
INTERNATIONAL LINKS
Facebook: @PainAndGloryMovie
Twitter: #DolorYGloria
Instagram: @dolorygloriait