Bad Education (2004)

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Javier Cámara, Francisco Boira, Lluís Homar, Petra Martínez, Raúl García Forneiro, Nacho Pérez, Juan Fernández, Leonor Watling. [NC-17]

An actor (Gael García Bernal) out of work pitches a movie idea to a filmmaker (Fele Martínez) he knew from their boarding school days, one which is based on their shared past experiences which exposes sexual abuse, blackmail, attempted murder, and more. A complex, layered story turned inside out a few times over; it’s very dark and twisted and transgressive, but also absorbing, even as it works overtime to subvert the viewer’s understanding of who these characters are and what drives them. Rife with Hitchcockian psychological suspense, neo-noir atmosphere and distancing emotion, and puzzlebox realities where flashbacks could turn out to be scenes in a movie or memories could be the dreams of an entirely different person—distinctly Almodóvar, but very different from anything else the director was making during this stage of his career. Bernal, who slides in and out of multiple personas and genders, is an arresting enigma onscreen, screen presence radiating both danger and vulnerability. One significant drawback: Almodóvar’s troublemaking message is hard to pin down, if he has one at all. Sexually explicit, but not gratuitous; an R-rated edit exists, but why bother?

83/100