Pain and Glory Movie Review: Always wondered if the connection between an artist and his muse, much like a painter and his strokes gets better with time? Well, in case of director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Antonio Banderas it sure seems like that. The duo have worked together for eight movies in the past and it looks like the 70-year-old Spanish filmmaker may have finally struck gold or can we say painted his masterpiece with their new Spanish film Pain and Glory. This could be called as Pedro Almodóvar's self-portrait though as opposed to an object drawing considering the director puts Banderas in his shoes (actually in his own clothes) as he directs him in a film loosely based on his own experiences. Pain and Glory: Antonio Banderas' Academy Award Nominee Spanish Drama All Set to Release in India on January 31. 

Pain and Glory stars a Banderas (May I say a total silver fox!) in the role of filmmaker Salvador Mallo, an ageing director who's debilitating physical condition clubbed with creative paralysis have him reflect on his past and present. Regret comes easy when you have an idle mind and for Salvador who has now hung his gloves, it's more of perpetual state. The once famed director who was the voice of his generation for the politically and sexually liberal folks is now crippled with migraines, panic attacks, relentless back pain but more often than not it's the heartache that still sits like a solid bruise. It's funny how we find fixes in things that we know will never get us better and watching Mallo's (Banderas) experiments with heroin so as to feel nothing, emotionally as well as physically, has its own comedy. It could also be considered to be his most desperate attempt to find some connection with his former lover (a heroin addict) who he parted ways with many years ago.

The film shuttles between Salvador's childhood and his present days, giving us a rare insight into his relationship with his mother. It's gorgeous how naturally  Almodóvar presents the mother-son relation moving from reverence to absolute exasperation as their relationship progresses over the years. The director explores the beauty of relationships and how time and situations corrode them in ways we can never really account to as anyone's doing. Salvador's meetings with his former colleague/friends, ex-lovers are sheer beauty in capturing just that. Themes of sexual identity, intimacy, religious dissonance unfold beautifully through his protagonist's encounters.

One of the best sequences of the film is probably its opening shot itself where we see Banderas' Mallo floating underwater in a swimming pool. The lens moves in for a close-up over his spinal cord showing a surgery mark. There's a reason the spinal cord is one of the most important elements of the human body given that without it, our muscular system wouldn't work. Metaphorically, the scene powerfully shows Mallo's fragile emotional and physical state and his search to find what binds the two together. There are portions where the film drags a bit, especially in the part that gives us a  graphic retelling of Mallo's medical condition. The medical jargons get a little too much here. Not to mention, they could have just given us a bit more of Mallo's childhood experiences as opposed to the detailing of his poor physical health. Also, simply speaking in terms of a plot,  Almodóvar offers nothing new for a story that has a struggling artist in its centre. Tales of tortured artists and their irreparable heartbreaks are done to death and this one's addition to it but luckily it's the execution that takes it beyond the ordinary.

Like every  Almodóvar film, the art direction is a stunner. Salvador's apartment is reportedly modelled off the director's own Madrid home and it reflects his protagonist's personality far too well. The visual language of the film is top-notch with the artworks and the books in the surrounding adding their bits to the story. Almodóvar's love for art and cinema comes to life in one of the finest scenes of the film revolving around Salvador's friend Alberto (Asier Gómez) and former colleague performing a piece of his work in a monologue which coincidentally also has Mallo's former paramour Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia) witnessing it. Asier Gómez mesmerises with his act in this one and Leonardo Sbaraglia's teary-eyed look in the audience elevates this scene to another level. But it surely is the film's climax where Almodóvar's surprises with a delightful confluence of binding past and present, the fiction and reality of the film and his protagonist's life altogether. The film's score by Alberto Iglesias needs a definite shoutout for adding its magical touch to Almodóvar' artistic lens. Once upon a Time in Hollywood Backlash: Antonio Banderas Supports Quentin Tarantino, Says ‘I Think an Artist Should Be Free'.

For much of his career, Antonio Banderas seemed to have been limited and stereotyped and who knew, the 60-year-old actor had to get eighth time lucky with Almodóvar' to get one of the finest performances of his career. Banderas' controlled and introspective act lifts this film up. He brings out the situational comedy bits extremely well in the film. Also adding an equal amount of warmth to this film is Penelope Cruz. She's like sunshine every time she turns up on the screen and lights up the frame with her solid act. It's a shame we get to see her in bits.

Yay

- Pedro Almodóvar's artistic direction

- Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz's superlative performances

- Alberto Iglesias' musical scre

Nay!

- Takes a slow start

- Salvador's childhood portions could have been extended a bit more.

Final Thoughts:

The last time I was so floored by a Pedro Almodóvar film was when I watched All About My Mother. Pain and Glory sure comes a second to that as a beautifully crafted reflective, autobiographical piece of work from the director that shines with Antonio Banderas' evocative performance.  For someone who loves finding the meaning and impact of cinema in cinema, it's directors like Almodóvar who often make indulgent films and Pain and Glory is a celebration of that. It's the point where art, films and humanity blend for an engaging storytelling experience.

Rating:3.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2020 10:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).