Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria)

An intimate and honest, semi-autobiographical film by Pedro Almodóvar that was confidently directed and honestly written. Almodóvar depicted the journey of a creative genius stymied by physical and emotional pain as he recalled and re-experienced significant life moments that may or may not have contributed to his creative block. Almost every scene of this film was purposeful and every frame was emotionally dense; audience transference was inevitable. Kudos to Antonio Banderas for a searingly strong but yet highly restrained portrayal. His journey from the start to the end of the film was sincere and arresting, with the emotions playing over his face and body throughout. Penelope Cruz also stood out, albeit in a more limited, but highly emotive, role.

The film unfolded in a measured pace but was never slow or dull. There was always an overlying question of "Why?" hanging over every scene and vignette, which was then followed by a "How?". The answers to these questions usually revealed themselves by the end of that story, although sometimes it could be rather oblique and only cleared up a couple of scenes later. However, by the end of the film, the whole narrative crystalised beautifully.

In its core, Dolor y Gloria was a story about love. It beautifully and examined various themes and types of love in its near 2-hours run time,focusing not only at romantic love, but also maternal love, first love, fraternal lover, the love after a breakout, lover amongst friends and, importantly, loving yourself. The film also touched on addiction, self-blame and self-discovery. A deeply rich and emotionally resonant film that could only be made possible from a writer/director who had lived a life.

Having said that, it would have been less realised if Almodóvar cast a less accomplished lead than Banderas. Banderas looked and felt like a man who had experienced all the above emotions and feeling. A highly nuanced performance that was one of his best. It was less showy than Joaquin Phoenix in Joker or Christian Bale in Ford v Ferrari, but equally as powerful as the former.

Cruz played a supporting role, and depending on how the field is like this year, she may have a shot at a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Like last year with Roma and Cold War, Parasite and Dolor y Gloria are two exciting foreign-language films that should break through and land nods in the major categories. It is a definite shoo-in for Almodóvar for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and also for Best International Film, with Best Picture a slightly longer shot.