Back in 2005 the talented Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar made a film called Bad Education, which contains a film within a film and a story within a story based on the characters past without knowing much about their present. Yes, it is as complex as it sounds but the veteran director handles it with precision care. Like most of his other films, you will get the most out of Bad Education with each subsequent viewing of it.

One day in 1980 a successful Madrid-based filmmaker named Enrique Goded (Fele Martínez) gets a visit from a former grade school classmate named Ignacio (Gael García Bernal). The two have not seen each other in 16 years but it proves to be impeccable timing. Enrique has ran into a creative wall and is desperate for story ideas. It just so happens that Ignacio is an actor (who now prefers to go by his stage name Ángel) and brought with him a script of a story named “The Visit”.

We visually get to see what Enrique is reading of “The Visit”, which are flashbacks to their school days that include Ignacio getting sexually abused by Father Manalo (Daniel Giménez Cacho). It also recounts adolescent first love between Enrique and Ignacio. It turns out that the abuse that Ignacio received was directly tied to trying to get Enrique out of trouble.

As the story unfolds many storylines and ideas overlap each other thus making it fairly confusing in the beginning. You may think you have it figured out near the start but the characters have more depth that you may think. This is done intentionally but by the end of the film Almodóvar clears up much of the mystery.

One thing that I found particularly interesting is that when the script was being read, the aspect of the film would change. So it was as if we were watching the script of the film that was being read by Enrique. Trying to decipher what is the truth and what is made up is part of what makes Bad Education such a fun watch. But it also makes it hard to review as to not give away spoilers. Some characters are hustling other characters but it is likely not who you think it is.

It is films like Bad Education that give Pedro Almodóvar such deserving high praise. His ability for storytelling puts him in the company of Hithcock, Spielberg, Scorsese and Kubrick. During his film he shows slowly reveals pieces of a puzzle that only come together at the end and when they do they are remarkable.

It would be very difficult to write a review of Bad Education without discussing the exquisite performance that Gael García Bernal gives. Without giving too much away, Almodóvar pushes Bernal to the acting limit by playing several roles. Often he is scantily clad but there is one role which includes him dressing up in drag. If for some reason you did not appreciate Bernal before, this film should change your mind.

Because I first discovered Almodóvar from my favorite film of 2011, The Skin I Live In, I am in the unique position of watching his films in reverse sequence. So for me, I can see how each one of his later works has been influenced from Bad Education. Just like in Volver (and all of the films I have seen of his) his color palette consists of vivid color schemes. Broken Embraces was similar to this film in the fact that there is a film within a film. And finally The Skin I Live In contained a perverse natured erotic storyline which Bad Education certainly had some of.

Broken Embraces is a foreign film from the highly acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar about passion and obsession. The film centers around a filmmaker who falls in love with an actress who is the producer’s mistress. The plot slowly unravels itself in a way that would make Hitchcock proud. It is shot in a way that you not only are watching one Almodovar film but two as there is a movie-within-a-movie.

Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar) is a famous director who was fantasized being another person. He created an alter ego of Henry Caine when he became blind and transformed into being a writer. Caine relies on Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Tamar Novas) to take care of him at his home. Judit has always been by Caine’s side, even before he became blind as she was a production manager for him on his films.

At the very beginning we learn that a wealthy man named Ernesto Martel has died but have no clue as to who that person is. The film then jumps around from past and present to learn about Ernesto Martel and why his death is so important to Caine. During all the flashbacks we are introduced to a host of side characters and the different sides of Mateo Blanco/Henry Caine.

One day a young name named Ray X (Ruben Ochandiano) makes an appointment to talk to Caine about making a screenplay for him. Ray X insists that Caine should do the screenplay but Caine was not sold on the story and tells him that he is not the right person to write it. After he leaves he has Diego look at old production photos because he has a hunch that he has met Ray X before. Sure enough, there is a photo of the two together on a set.

Back when Caine went by Mateo Blanco, he was beginning his work on what would be his final film Girls and Suitcases. This is when he was introduced to Ernesto’s mistress, Lena (Penelope Cruz). Lena has been living with the wealthy Ernesto Martel for the past two years but wanted to get back into the working environment. Mateo fell in love with Lena at first sight.

Martel is nervous that he is losing Lena so he hires his son to follow Lena around on the set of the film. Armored with a video camera himself, the son is follows orders by filming Lena becoming an actress. Although the reason for this is so that Martel can keep an eye on Lena, the son makes a documentary out of it.

His suspicions turned out to be accurate as Lena falls for Mateo. The footage his son captured of the two proved that. Being that Martel is the producer of the film, makes the whole situation very messy. Martel’s passion for Lena does not go unnoticed.

Almodovar deliberately uses the color red virtually everywhere throughout the film. It is found in obvious places such as lipstick but also in more carefully selected places such as the paintings, furniture and a lot of the clothing. The liberal use of the color red is no doubt in effort to show how much love and passion all the characters possess.

I have started backwards in viewing Pedro Almodovar’s work, the first film I saw of his was his most recent film The Skin I Live In which ended up being my favorite film of 2011. He has incredible talent in filmmaking and storytelling that makes it easy to see why he is one of the most acclaimed Spanish directors of all time. He is becoming one of my favorite foreign directors. I eagerly wait to see Vovler, Bad Education and Talk To Her which are the next three films in the reverse order I am viewing them in.

The first 90 minutes of Broken Embraces was brilliant, character development heavy with a great thriller plotline. In the last 30 minutes of the film the story arc was mostly completed thus the rushed ending failed to be climatic. It was a little disappointing that the last part of the film did not finish as strong as it began. The film still was impressive to watch thanks to Almodovar’s magnificent style.