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In Pedro Almodovar’s excellent film “Pain and Glory,” there’s a tender, heartbreaking scene in which one character inquires of another about whether the pain he caused him has caused him to lose his artistic vision. The other, a well-known director who is well-versed in the subject of physical and emotional pain, is dismissive of the notion. After all, art is one of the few professions that is not hampered by physical discomfort. Some of the greatest artists have channeled their suffering into their work in ways that other occupations simply do not permit. Pain does not derail an artist’s career; rather, it shapes it in a positive way. The film also captures the way life is reflected in art in ways that could only be captured by a master filmmaker. It’s a deeply personal and extremely moving film, with Antonio Banderas delivering one of his best performances to date.
Given how frequently Almodovar and Banderas have collaborated over the years on films such as “Matador,” “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!” and even the more recent “The Skin I Live In,” casting Banderas as a stand-in for Almodovar himself named Salvador Mallo brings the worlds of fiction and reality together in interesting ways before the film even begins. It’s unlikely that any other collaborator is as familiar with Almodovar as Antonio Banderas, who has collaborated with him for more than three decades. (With the possible exception of Penelope Cruz, who is also included in this list.) We’ll get there eventually.)
The meta-aspect of watching Banderas play a version of Almodovar himself is clearly intended when “Pain and Glory” opens with a narrative in which a famous director reunites with an actor whom he had made a star decades earlier is clearly intended when “Pain and Glory.” Is Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia) a stand-in for Antonio Banderas or someone else from Almodovar’s past, or is he a wholly fictional character created by the director? Perhaps a collection of people Almodovar worked with over the years but with whom he’d either lost touch or deliberately chose not to keep in touch. Mallo and Crespo have a history of animosity toward one another. Mallo was critical of Crespo’s performance in their breakthrough film, claiming that it was too heavily influenced by the actor’s heroin use. Several years later, they reunite for a Q&A session, and Mallo, who is suffering from chronic health problems, decides to try his hand at chasing the dragon himself, quickly becoming addicted to heroin in the process. It’s the story of someone reaching into the past, pulling something formative out of it, and then using that thing to reshape and inform the present—much like great artists frequently do in their work.
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Don’t be concerned—”Pain and Glory” is not the story of a drug addict in recovery. The story of heroin and Crespo takes Mallo on a journey that takes him to some unexpected places, all of which is intercut with memories that Mallo has of his childhood. Mallo’s mother is played by the wonderful Penelope Cruz in the flashback sequences, and, once again, the long working relationship between actor and director has a significant impact on the final product. For a writer/director and an actor to put something that feels so personal on screen without it coming across as self-serving or maudlin takes a great deal of trust on their part. Mallo’s lingering health problems appear to be getting worse as the film moves forward to the present day, where the reunion with Crespo inspires another reunion that is among the most heartbreaking and moving scenes in Almodovar’s history.
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There is, of course, a long history of great filmmakers coming to terms with their own histories and mortality through the medium of filmmaking in general. For precisely this reason, “Pain and Glory” has been compared to Federico Fellini’s “8 1 2” and other films. As a filmmaker, Almodovar has never shied away from telling his own stories, particularly about the women in his life. But the way he approaches it in this film is particularly moving, and it is something he hasn’t really achieved in his previous work. Because he places himself at the heart of the story, not as an observer or as a cinematic memory, but rather in the role of the main character, he is able to achieve this. Despite the fact that he’s asking questions about the nature of life and art that filmmakers have undoubtedly asked before him, there’s a grace to his approach that is unusual even for him. While lacking some of the visual whimsy of his best work, it is as grounded in character as anything he has ever done. It is a delicate, complex film.
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One of the reasons for this is the high level of trust Almodovar has in Banderas, and the high level of trust that Banderas has in Almodovar. The fact that Banderas never feels like he’s doing an Almodovar impression, despite the fact that their friendship clearly influenced the performance in ways that other actors couldn’t possibly comprehend, is remarkable. One of the highest compliments I can bestow on both gentlemen is that, while the actor and director clearly shaped the character, Banderas and Almodovar both fade away and we become emotionally invested in the story of Salvador Mallo and his family. Not only is he more than a stand-in, as he might have been in a lesser film, he is also a symbol for the aging director. He’s a fully-realized, emotionally complex character in his own right, as well as a supporting character.
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Some viewers will find “Pain and Glory” to be too episodic. A surprising structure emerges as it moves through encounters in Mallo’s life and in his past, without always connecting the dots. However, it also has an accumulative effect. Without giving anything away, the final section of the film begins with the discovery of a piece of art that would not have existed if Mallo and his mother hadn’t done it, and then ends with the creation of yet another piece of art. Pain and life may have shaped art, but it also captures beauty and glory in a way that no other medium can.
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According to the Toronto International Film Festival’s website, this review was submitted on September 6th, 2019.
For more personality quizzes check this: Baaghi 3 Quiz.
