“Pain and Glory” Review
Pain and Glory - Dolor y Gloria (R)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
2019
There’s a scene in Pain and Glory where Salvador Mallo (a character inspired by director Pedro Almodóvar and played by Antonio Banderas) offers some direction to an actor saying "The better actor isn't the one who cries. It's the one who fights to hold back the tears." How much of this advice did Banderas follow himself? He has never been more vulnerable than he is in Pain and Glory, a movie by his close friend and collaborator Almodóvar - whose films could so easily be categorised as melodrama. But Pain and Glory seems different. It feels personal as it undoubtedly is. Banderas matches Almodóvar’s passion with a performance that is so entirely genuine that you are engrossed and involved in it- seeing Salvador as a real character in himself, and not pondering the similitude he might share with Almodóvar.
Like so many of Almodóvar’s films, Pain and Glory is absolutely stunning to look at. His vivid colour pallettes are on full display, with meticulous details paid to the sets and costume design as he personally supplied a number of his own furniture and clothing. The scenes of Salvador’s childhood contain an intangible magic of relatability that only the strongest writing can bring out. As Salvador’s mother, Penélope Cruz ( Almodóvar’s other muse) brings to life another deeply personal role with an expert level of finesse. Playing so many important parts in Almodóvar’s life, her craft has been sharpened and matured so that she would be the unquestionable choice to portray his most personal relationship- that which he had with his mother.
It would be so simplistic to say that Pain and Glory is Almodóvar’s most personal film yet. But in truth so many of his films have been so deeply personal. Pain and Glory strives to be more. In reflecting on his life, Almodóvar encourages us to reflect on our own, and consider the quiet moments that shape us, and thrive in our memory. This is Antonio Banderas’ career best though, and more than anything it is a film that should be seen if only to understand how criminally overlooked his skill as an actor has been.