Pain and Glory stars Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mallo, a film director whose career is in a decline as he suffers from several physical ailments. One of his earlier films, Sabor, is being remastered and rereleased for modern audiences, and he’s asked to present the film with its lead actor Alberto Crespo, played by Asier Etxeandia. The two haven’t spoken in thirty-two years, since the release of Sabor, and when Salvador reaches out, it leads him on a path that finds him looking heavily back on his past, while trying to look forward to his future.
The film is written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, who drew a lot of inspiration from his own life when crafting this film. One of the most notable examples is the fact that Alberto and Salvador’s own falling out is reflective of Almodovar and Banderas not working together for nearly twenty years after Banderas started his career off working in Almodovar’s earlier films. With Almodovar having such a deeply personal connection to the material, there’s a very meditative, reflective feel to this film.
It’s often quiet, and it’s rarely high energy, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be. This isn’t a film that revolves around a major event or an earth-shattering revelation. This is simply a character drama that studies life itself and how the years can affect even the closest of relationships. Salvador looks back on his relationship with, among others, Alberto, his mother - played in flashbacks by Penelope Cruz - as well as a lover named Federico, played by Leonardo Sbaglia. Interpersonal relationships have always been a major theme of Almodovar’s films, and this time, it’s at the very forefront of the story.
And the film explores those relationships beautifully, and that’s mainly due to the performances. At the heart of the film is Antonio Banderas, who gives one of his best performances in years as Salvador. Known more for playing either suave, commanding, or in-control figures, here he deals a lot with being out of control. He’s having trouble creating new work, he repeatedly chokes seemingly on nothing, and he’s having trouble maintaining just about any of his relationships. He’s tired and beaten down, but in a way almost accepting of it, and in a way still exudes this sense of positivity that makes him almost instantly likable from when he first appears.
While the film involves its main character suffering, it doesn’t mean it’s not without its sense of humor. In fact, this film can often be quite funny, and Almodovar doesn’t look to beat audiences down in a desperate plea for sympathy. Salvador’s sometimes nonchalant attitude can often lead to some fairly humorous setups. He takes up smoking heroin “just out of curiosity” and is seen engaging it in during some fairly awkward times, and there are even some scenes that are slightly physical that get a good laugh without ever delving into slapstick territory. It’s as if Almodovar is saying that life could still be humorous even in the most troubling of times, and it’s a nice message to add on top of the film’s many themes of life and relationships.
Storytelling is also a major aspect of this film, and it’s used in truly unique ways here. This is a very exposition-heavy film, complete with ongoing narration from Banderas. And while too much telling and not enough showing goes against the rules of filmmaking, extended monologues are essentially needed here. There’s a crucial plot point, for example, in the middle of the film where Alberto performs a one-man play written by Salvador based on Salvador’s memoirs, and during this performance, Alberto reveals a lot about another individual from Salvador’s past. So when the film introduces that individual shortly after, there’s almost an instant connection made with them, even though they’re introduced so late into the film, and it’s easy to be invested in what they have to say.
Almodovar is known for telling complex narratives in his films, which plays wonderfully into the film’s storytelling-heavy motif. The only issue this provides at times is that it causes some of its characters to get the short end of the stick as a result in certain occasions. On one hand, what’s nice about this film is the fact that while Banderas is the film’s centerpiece, all the other characters are still fleshed out well and feel like real people, as opposed to being there just to service him. Though, there are certain instances where it would have been nice to spend a little more time with some of them, especially as some will disappear for a period of time before reappearing much later on in the film.
This is most notable with Penelope Cruz, who is absolutely wonderful here as Salvador’s mother. While Banderas has been Almodovar’s most frequent early collaborator, Cruz is his most frequent latter-day collaborator, so it was really nice to see past and present come together, even though they never actually shared a scene together. And while Cruz knocks it out of the park with the material, and the time she’s given really showcases the struggles of a mother simply trying to do what’s best for her child, it would have been nice to see her just a bit more at times.
She disappears from the narrative for quite a bit, and there’s a segment in which Salvador’s mother is seen again in her old age, now played by Julieta Serrano. And even though it’s the same character, that same energy from the flashback sequences isn’t truly felt here, and it just makes the arc feel a tad disjointed. Also part of the flashback sequences is a subplot involving young Salvador teaching a young man named Eduardo, played by Cesar Vicente, how to read and write, that’s only seen briefly, and then only brought up again much later on in the film. Because of the long stretch until the next time that story picks back up, some interest was lost a bit as a result.
Pain and Glory is an overall great entry in the filmography of one of Spain’s greatest filmmakers. It’s a pensive look back at life, and is a great showcase of how time can affect relationships. It’s an emotional experience, though never feels joyless, and actually has many moments that are often either humorous or beautiful. And it’s anchored by an excellent performance from Antonio Banderas in what’s easily his best role in years. That, along with a well-crafted naturalistic story make this a nice little treat for fans with a love of filmmaking.
Recommendation: Watch It
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