Pain and Glory

Pain and Glory

Starring Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Asier Etxeandia

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

There's a lot of deep meaning in Pedro Almodovar's written and directed film "Pain and Glory," and most of it appears to come from the famed director's own tumultuous life.  Many people in the world wish for all glory and no pain, but ultimately there can be no glory without pain, and both are seen in full measure here as a director reaches the twilight of his career and reflects on the mistakes and events of the past that have shaped him into the man he's become.

That director is Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), a man with numerous pains both in his body and his mind, puts himself into isolation in his apartment as his most famous work is getting re-released for moviegoing audiences.  He doesn't want to be a part of it, but is drawn to reuniting with the film's lead star Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), with whom he had become estranged due to the actor's drug use.  Salvador soon finds himself addicted to heroin thanks to Alberto, and reflects on his past, growing up in a cave with his mother Jacinta (Penelope Cruz) and teaching a local laborer to read.  He continues to think about the past and the mistakes he's made, and struggle against the new demons that've come into his life and find the glory in the pain.

Seen through episodic events in his life, we witness the formation of Salvador's genius and pain, a life filled with turmoil and heartbreak that he's used to channel into a successful film career.  Very often we choose to use our pain to elevate ourselves, and Salvador manages to do this very well - but the pain is still there, more present than ever.  We see the man struggle through his life in ways that are unique in that they're not manipulative or filled with bland sentimentality - it's just life.  There's no swelling music to deliver a powerful emotional knockout punch to the audience delivered through the tear-stained eyes of star Antonio Banderas that will give ultimate catharsis, but what we do get is much more impactful.  There's a quote that Salvador tells his actor that's a perfect summation of the film: "a great actor is not the one who cries, but the one who knows how to contain the tears."  We see the struggle Salvador goes through, and the pain and emotion in his eyes, but he doesn't surrender to the sappy triteness, but rather reels it in enough to give us the sense of what he's really feeling without exploding in fountains of tears.

Pedro Almodovar has worked with both Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz in several films, and their comradere is powerfully evident in their brave work - easily Banderas's best, and deserving of his first ever Academy Award nomination (even though I could still think of other actors who deserved the nomination, he also deserved it as well).  Cruz's role is very supporting, serving as Salvador's mother growing up, but her limited screentime leaves a lasting impression.  The star is undoubtedly Banderas, who plays a fictionalized version of Almodovar in a deeply personal way that can only come from years of trust that the two men have built up.  The most powerful moments of the film comes with Banderas's Salvador talking to his grown-up mother (now played by Julieta Serrano), and the harsh truths that both reveal to one another is raw, emotional, and thankfully not exploitative.  You'll remember it, but not because you're bawling your eyes out - but because it's so honest and poignant.  Much like the entirety of the film, you're left with a sense of remembrance of your own life, and how sometimes you smile when you think of the pain, and cry when you think of the joy.

Antonio Banderas delivers a career-defining performance in "Pain and Glory," a raw, powerful pseudo-biographical film that highlights the memories of the past and also the pains that lead to greatness.

The Score: A+