• My second time viewing it, first since theater in 2004, and what a revelation
  • It’s a captivating multi-layered web narrative trapped in a world with transcendent visuals
  • “a rapturous masterwork” in 4 stars from Travers “Almodóvar mixes Hitchcock with Double Indemnity, a song from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and countless other movie references into a hot-blooded tale of deception and murder”
  • Wesley Boston Globe “This is a brilliantly structured hall of mirrors that wraps
    Catholicism and the movie industry into a tasty film noir”
  • The titles are very Hitchcockian—Saul Bass-like. They’re stunning- I’m upset I couldn’t find a screengrab to share an appreciation of—a tone-setting beauty and craftsmanship
  • After the titles – the scene with Fele Martínez who plays a director—essentially Almodóvar. Teal paint on the wall, red blinds, impressive. Another shot of him looking through blinds.
  • Another scene setting the tendency for the décor, mise-en-scene.  And metafiction.
  • There’s a little Russian nesting doll story within a story within a story going on and Gael Garcia Bernal warrants appreciation for playing variations on a character in all three threads— nesting doll is something I’d use to talk about Grand Budapest from Wes 10 years later in 2014—oddly enough Almodóvar changes the aspect ratio for his movie within a movie much like Wes would do for the various time periods in 2014. Brilliant
  • It can probably all be tracked back to Hitchcock (and Almodóvar is certainly his own artist)—but there’s a Lynchian’ doppelganger vibe to the multiple roles and the lies within the narrative threads
  • Such detail and flair in the décor—mint green phone
  • It’s impeccably written by Almodóvar as well—“I think I’ve just lost my faith at this moment, so I no longer believe in God or hell. As I don’t believe in hell, I’m not afraid. And without fear I’m capable of anything.”
  • Vibrant colors, expressionistic- reds galore—stunning stained-glass window shots and background detail – every background is meticulously designed
a stunner wall-art shot with a flourish color pop that’s tied to the color themes used throughout the film
  • The evil priest flashback scenes play like Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander– horrifying
  • A great graphic match of the young characters turning into the old ones—it’s an interesting note that one of them, is a lie—not sure how that all works out formally
  • “The Visit” is the film within the film and they read it (and show it), and then later actually make it into a movie which is different than what they read from the screenplay before and that is different from the reality of what happened
  • Even the board game is chosen for the colors—reds and greens—every outfit—art in every apartment and the wallpaper
  • Double Indemnity in the text in the form of a poster- as is La Bête Humaine from Renoir. Sirk may have inspired some of the mise-en-scene visuals and Almodovar’s oeuvre includes plenty of comedy—but this is on the thriller/Hitchcock side (a side that other Sirkian’ auteurs -Fassbinder, Todd Haynes- never showed) of his influences while clearly being one of the strongest films of this very distinct auteur
  • Must-See