almodovar tinged dreams

Most of my dreams are frustratingly normal, so imagine my surprise last night when I experienced loads of women running around on a bus, broken relationships, some useless man getting killed, and various scenarios repeating themselves. If I actually dreamed in color, I'm sure the Almodovar style garish pink-red blood would have played an integral role as well. When I woke up, I realized that my subconscious was telling me to watch Live Flesh (1997), where a bus features prominently in the first scene.

While solid, Live Flesh is not one of Almodovar's better movies. It is the only Almodovar movie to adapt the screenplay from a book, and it shows. From the first important scene (about ten minutes into the movie), I immediately knew what was going to follow in the next 85 minutes. Although it's possible that I've seen enough of his movies by now to predict the ending, I'm generally far from clairvoyant regarding movie endings. Obviously, this made this particular movie much less enjoyable. Something that Almodovar does well is plot twists and offbeat humor, both of which are diluted down in this movie. All of his movies carry familiar and small predictable components, but this was just ridiculous.

The major problem with Live Flesh is that the focus was on the men. Almodovar gets such amazing acting from his actresses. He coaxes so many emotions from women's faces, their bodies, and their dialogue. His women are nuanced, fiery, and absolutely beautiful characters. There's no such connection between the director and his actors. His men are generally cretins and two-dimensional: philanderers, drunks, and murderers alike. In Live Flesh, the men still satisfy all of the standard requirements but are thrust into center stage. The two female leads are atypical Almodovar women. They retain their emotional instability but also add passivity, weakness, and a penchant for failure into the mix.

Javier Bardem has been on my potential actor-to-watch list after Vicky Cristina Barcelona. He was good in this movie but not great. I have yet to see No Country for Old Men, which I'm absolutely dying to see. Penelope Cruz also has a short cameo in this movie, and she's definitely on my actress-to-watch list after VCB and Volver. The acting was fine and there was some humor in this movie, but it was less emotional and original than Almodovar's other works. Allowances must always be made for Almodovar movies, which often combine strange people, strange situations, and strange symbolism. The hero was mildly sympathetic and the heroine could as well have been a piece of cardboard, but I just can't fathom the progression of their non-relationship.

Live Flesh does exhibit some quirkiness, but the characters drag it down. Nonetheless, it possesses one of the loveliest love scenes ever. EVER. A few of the other relationshippy scenes are light and beautifully crafted, but the entire package falls short. I recommend Volver, which is everything that this movie is not. Pedro, please stick with empowering women among a backdrop of worthless men. Thank you very much.