Almodóvar, Pedro

Almodóvar, Pedro (1949- ), Spanish film director, born in La Mancha, whose satirical black social comedies shot him to international prominence in the late 1980s and established a new genre of Spanish cinema.

In one of his earliest films, Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980), Almodóvar distinguished himself as a master of irony with a sure touch and an uninhibited attitude towards sex and conventional morality. Other early works, such as ¿Qué He Hecho Yo para Merecer Ésto? (1985; What Have I Done to Deserve This?), featuring a memorable portrayal of an indomitable, downtrodden working-class mother by Carmen Maura, ingeniously employ humour and sympathy to challenge audience preconceptions of acceptable behaviour. With the frantic bourgeois farce of Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (1988; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), Almodóvar came to represent the hedonism of a country enjoying the new freedom and economic boom of the post-Franco years. The 1990s saw him pushing the taste barriers further and further back with ¡Atame! (1990; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!), and Tacones Lejanos (1991; High Heels). In 1994 public opinion seemed to change when Kika, the story of a skittish, tender-hearted make-up artist played by Veronique Fouque, was criticized for being tasteless and misogynistic in his native Spain and had a mixed reception elsewhere. However, with La Flor de Mi Secreto (1995; The Flower of My Secret), a moving and humorous account of a woman discovering her own self-worth after being abandoned by her husband, Almodóvar returned to form. His subsequent films include Carne Trémula (1997; Live Flesh), from the novel by Ruth Rendell; Todo Sobre mi Madre (1999; All About My Mother), which in 2000 won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; Hable con Ella (2002; Talk to Her), the Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Film in 2003 and Academy Award winner for Almodóvar’s original screenplay; La Mala Educación (2004; Bad Education); and Volver (2006).

Almodóvar’s films generally deal with women in crisis. He revels in bad taste but at the same time gives his women characters strong, central roles. He has enjoyed successful working partnerships with two actresses: first with Maura, until a well-publicized split in 1988, and then with Victoria Abril. Almodóvar’s critics complain that his huge success has had a negative effect on Spanish cinema in general as a new generation of film-makers tries to outdo him. Moreover, he does have shortcomings: some have argued that his plots are thin and his characters have little depth. In his best work, though, these problems are amply compensated for by creative and original cinematography, marvellous performances, especially by his female leads, wit, and a unique style. As such, they present a fascinating vision of contemporary Spanish life and morals as seen by an artist of the cinema.