Pedro Almodóvar, much like his fictional counterpart Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), has a long and complicated relationship with his own legacy. We saw this in his 2009 film Broken Embraces, but nowhere is it more evident than in the deeply personal Pain & Glory, a film that examines what it means to create and how one’s life experiences form their artistic voice.
Mallo is a semi-retired film director who feels his best years have long since passed him by—he has various health problems and is generally down on the idea of working again. But all this changes when a restoration of his most popular film, Sabor, is announced. This brings back a lot of old feelings about the celebrated film, not least the fact that the lead performance by Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia) is one he’s never liked. This was the source of great tension on set, which in turn led to a 30 year feud between the two men.
Although in Mallo’s mind, time has been kind to Crespo’s performance, as he finds himself admitting after agreeing to a post-screening Q&A with his estranged collaborator. When they get together to bury the hatchet, doors start opening up for Mallo—his connection to his childhood strengthens, as past and present intertwine, while Crespo’s presence acts as a catalyst for a new resurgence of creativity. But its nothing so obvious as that might suggest, instead Almodóvar approaches all this with a remarkably light touch, taking time to allow these characters to work out their numerous problems.
Reaching Into the Past
Peppered throughout Pain & Glory is a series of flashbacks, like the one that opens the film which sees Mallo’s mother Jacinta (Penélope Cruz) singing to the young boy. His connection to these memories increases when he starts taking heroin on lazy afternoons with Crespo, and we get a sense of how much his childhood informed the man he became. Mallo’s love of cinema evolves from projections on the whitewashed walls of his cave-like home, a wonderfully simple image showing inspiration arising from adversity.
Meanwhile, the young boy’s discovery of his own sexuality is afforded similar care, as he strikes up a relationship with Eduardo (César Vicente), a laborer brought in to do odd jobs in exchange for tutelage from Mallo. One particular moment is such a tender expression of attraction, where a thousand different emotions hit Salvador all at once, that’s conveyed with a graceful, poetic touch by Almodóvar, where it’s immediately clear that the director understands that feeling inside and out.
Crucial to the film are the performances from Banderas and Cruz, two frequent Almodóvar collaborators, without whom the film would lack its intimate, personal touch. The director needs these figures, as stand-ins for both himself and his mother, to be inhabited by performers he trusts implicitly, and both offer nuanced, lived-in portrayals of these autobiographical characters. Better yet, Banderas‘ own years-long estrangement from Almodóvar helps enrich the text in unexpected and poignant ways, as present-day Mallo forms an uneasy friendship with Crespo that goes far beyond the relationship they had filming Sabor.
A New Lease on Life
With the wisdom of age, their connection now runs deeper, even if they’re still prone to the occasional bickering. The actor’s presence sends Mallo inwards for creative inspiration, as he works through the details of his past—including his relationship Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia)—and confronts his ill health head-on. He’s older, yes, but it’s the way he comes to use that fact to inform his creative output that you have to imagine his real-life counterpart can relate to.
Pain & Glory is a notably reserved entry for Almodóvar, both in terms of its story and formal approach, but that’s not to say he’s on autopilot. It’s full of terrific little touches, like the way Mallo is framed saying goodbye after a brief but significant reunion. The director puts us right in the line of Banderas‘ warm gaze, as he says “Thank you for coming. Really,” allowing us to share an intimate moment with these characters. Given the nature of the story, one of how aging affects our ability to create, a low-key approach is necessary. And just as Mallo does in the film’s final moments, Almodóvar reaches into the past to find new ways to create, to evolve, and eventually, find glory from pain.
Watch Pain & Glory
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