Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom.

An Film Noir Almodovar style with some fantastic performances

One of my favorite movies.

This is a fairly typical Almodovar drama film, featuring Penelope Cruz (but of course). Its a character driven drama and features a good use of music in the background to highlight the tenser moments. The plot features numerous twists. I became a little confused about which precise timeline I was viewing at points, as it switches between different years but then I can't say I'm the best at fully concentrating on intricate film details I suppose. Its a film about guilt and regret primarily, I think. This is a pretty intriguing story (somewhat thought provoking) with good performances, so yes its a good film thats worth seeing, I'd say but not my favourite Almodovar.

When you're expecting excellence and are forced to settle for really good, it's bound to be a bit disappointing. Such is the case with Broken Embraces, Pedro Almodovar's melodrama about love, jealousy and unseemly revenge. Told primarily in flashbacks, a blind former film director (Lluis Homar) looks back at his passionate affair with budding actress Lena (Penelope Cruz), the partner of powerful business tycoon Ernesto (Jose Luis Gomez), a relationship that will ultimately destroy the lives of all three characters. Cruz is excellent in her role and Almodovar, as usual, employs a vibrant color palette, but the film seems to rely more on sordid melodrama than compelling characters. It's still entertaining and fun to watch, but doesn't feel like it's up to Almodovar's normal high standard.

Penelope carries rage, vulnerability, humility, humour and pain in just those two eyes, maybe that's why they are always looking down. Broken Embraces The writer and director Pedro Almodovar's Shakespearean tragedy is extremely Shakespearean. There is unnerving phase of practicality that you cannot escape. And for that reason it is also a horror for me. There is mythology, there is narration, there are characters whispered about like some holy myth, they yearn for peace and prosperity, yet they are always drowned in their own sin. These things, the old style storytelling is fabricated so smoothly and properly coated in the hip and happening drums that you forget amidst all the rock band, DJ music and fashionable clothing, that they are actually kings and queens. The filmmaking and the celebrity is an excuse for crowning them as royalty. Their servant or call it a slave or a loyal spy, these paws are poking the rulers. What you get now, is of course, old mentality. That is not to say that it isn't timely. It's just that these characters then, not aware or ready or in habitant to listen or match others' perspective, fails to comprehend with them. Hence, coming back to the Shakespeare theory. There is a lot of Shakespeare in the film, for there is a lot of presumptuous thinking. You can see them make mistakes and plan mistakes resulting into us, the viewers, bite our nails, pull our hair and nod our head in denial. That's just good drama. That is a good film. Broken Embraces never fixes itself. It isn't meant to. The film juggles around plenty of relationships yet none of those aren't frowned upon by either us or the characters. What you then steer towards is character building. The broken is not the equation, not the character, not the zest to live and hope for. It is just that barricade between your self-created theories and the truth. That ugly incorrectly-motivated truth.

Pedro aldomovar in serious mood downbeat lacking the joie de vivre of earlier works, however 2 great performances from the leads raise this complex tale beyond the normal fare.

Broken Embraces is up there with one of my favorite of Pedro Almodóvar melodramas. It's beautiful to a fault, sexy as hell, delicious, and a complexly written tale of love and movies, tragedy and revenge. So amazing!!!

Almodovar si cimenta con un soggetto un po' noir con misteri e tradimenti. Secondo me on è il suo lavoro e si vede, la storia non ti tiene sulle corde, non c'è thrilling e pure il colpo di scena finale (in cui si scopre che il giovane è il figlio di lui) è super scontato. Anche la costruzione della trama: avrebbe preso la sufficienza se fosse uscito negli anni '90, ma qui parliamo di un film del 2009.

The story of a blind writer and director. We get to know his story - especially the complex story from 14 years ago, when he met Lena. Lena, acted out by Penélope Cruz, is in a unhappy relationship with a older, quite powerful man that is absolutely obsessed with Lena. We switch from Mateo Blanco's life back then, and now - when he has reincarnated as Harry Caine - a longened pseudonym of his. Pretty complex film, but not super hard to hang on too. It's smart and it looks lovely on screen. It's enjoyable to watch the story slowly opening up for you. Mysterious and well acted film that makes you wonder. The opening scene with the blonde made me really curious and put me in a state that I should not believe everything being told here. A plus. Probably. It's rather slow and few moments are standing out - one of the weaker points here. Well directed film but not Pedro's best - actually far from it. Still a really solid film that gives you an engaging story that need a lot of your focus. 7 out of 10 white canes.

Almodovar mas cinefilo que nunca ! Con una historia tipica del director ,llenade guiños a peliculas clà sicas e incluso a su propio cine , logra una pelicula visualmente poderosa y un diseño de produccion magistral , pero con un argumento flojo,previsible y muy alargado .

F 8.1 [Pedro Almodóvar]

one of my favorite films of all time. A tragic love story/ film noir full of beauty and passion.

Another winner from Almodovar. Pretty impressed with Penelope Cruz's performance here too.

Pedro Almodóvar back angrier and charming than ever. In "Broken Embraces", Almodóvar takes a fantastic look full of grace and inspiration inside Penélope Cruz in the role of the sensitive "Magdalena". Another magnificent and sweeping masterpiece by Almodóvar, in his fourth film with Penélope. The delicate and fleeting vision of this wonderful director bring us his style in a outstanding story. All I can say is "Bravo!"

Penelope Cruz topless gives it the last 1/2 star

Typical 'Almodovar' and I say that as a positive thing. Dark, funny, twisted, and smart but the ending lacks the punch you might expect from a story like this. Oh, and there's no reason this film should be over 2 hrs.

Pedro Almodóvar back angrier and charming than ever. In "Broken Embraces", Almodóvar takes a fantastic look full of grace and inspiration inside Penélope Cruz in the role of the sensitive "Magdalena". Another magnificent and sweeping masterpiece by Almodóvar, in his fourth film with Penélope. The delicate and fleeting vision of this wonderful director bring us his style in a outstanding story. All I can say is "Bravo!"

addicted by his works, this is fourth movie for me, So far, all his stuffs are really inspiring

Vau! Mitähän tästä voi edes sanoa. Kukaan ei tee ihmissuhdedraamaa kuten Almodovar. Lluis Homar ja Penelope Cruz on kankaalla täydellinen pari.