A fresh perspective on the life and films of Pedro Almodóvar
The essential challenge of film books is that their ideal reader has already acquired a certain expertise — and perhaps even a collection of volumes — on the genre or filmmaker in question. Very few people require more than one comprehensive guide to a director's work, which leads to an increasingly narrow focus. James Miller's 'The Passion of Pedro Almodóvar' bucks that trend. By providing a close analysis of seven of Almodóvar's 'more or less autobiographical' movies, Miller promises to 'present an unusual sort of 'self-portrait' of the artist' and to explore the extent to which his mature work 'is engaged in … an implicitly philosophical quest for self-knowledge.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pedro Almodóvar's Next Movie ‘Bitter Christmas' Set for Spanish Theaters and Streamer Movistar Plus+
Pedro Almodóvar has found his next project. The auteur is now at work on 'Bitter Christmas' for Spanish streaming platform Movistar Plus+. Almodóvar also collaborated with the platform on his English-language feature debut, 'The Room Next Door.' 'Bitter Christmas,' or 'Amarga Navidad,' stars a slew of Almodóvar newcomers and staples, including Bárbara Lennie ('Petra'), Leonardo Sbaraglia ('Pain and Glory'), Aitana Sánchez-Gijón ('Parallel Mothers'), Victoria Luengo ('The Room Next Door'), Patrick Criado ('Riot Police'), Milena Smit ('Parallel Mothers'), and Quim Gutiérrez ('Darkbluealmostblack'). The film will be released in Spanish theaters in 2026, with Warner Bros. Pictures Spain distributing. It will then debut exclusively on the Movistar Plus+ platform. More from IndieWire Studio Ghibli at 40: Can an Ethical Animation Studio Still Exist, or Even Survive? 'Eddington' Trailer: Ari Aster's Western of Pandemic Paranoia Hits Theaters After Dividing Cannes IndieWire has reached out to Almodóvar's representatives for details about a possible U.S. release, though it can be assumed Sony Pictures Classics will release the film in North America, as it has all of Almodóvar's recent outings. We're told that festival play and a U.S. release will take place before the Movistar+ premiere. 'Bitter Christmas' centers on advertising director Elsa, now mourning the loss of her mother over a December holiday weekend. The official synopsis, as shared by Variety, reads: 'She throws herself into work as a form of escape, not realizing she's denying herself the time to grieve. Her relentless pace is interrupted when a panic attack forces her to take a break. Her partner, Bonifacio, becomes her anchor in this moment of crisis. Elsa decides to travel to the island of Lanzarote with her friend Patricia, who is also looking to get away from Madrid, while Bonifacio stays behind in the city. The story of these three characters, and several others, runs parallel to that of screenwriter and film director Raúl Durán, intertwining fiction and reality. 'Bitter Christmas' explores how life and fiction are inseparably linked, sometimes painfully so.' The project is currently filming in Madrid and Lanzarote. Almodóvar and his brother, Agustín Almodóvar, produce through their El Deseo banner in collaboration with Movistar Plus+. Almodóvar won the 2024 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for 'The Room Next Door,' distributed stateside by Sony Pictures Classics. 'I was very concerned about the English,' Almodóvar told IndieWire about his first film in English. 'We wanted an English that should sound American. My films have never been naturalistic. I have never aspired to the mumbling or babbling or pausing or some of those things that happen in regular language. I like my language to be concentrated and precise. In Spanish, it has worked well.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Pedro Almodovar slams Donald Trump in fiery speech
As the celebrated Spanish filmmaker, famous for movies such as Talk to Her and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! expressed his gratitude for the honour, he fired off, "I doubted if it was appropriate to come to a country ruled by a narcissistic authority, who doesn't respect human rights. Trump and his friends, millionaires and oligarchs, cannot convince us that the reality we are seeing with our own eyes is the opposite of what we are living, however much he may twist the words.' "Mr Trump, I'm talking to you, and I hope that you hear what I'm going to say to you," Almodóvar continued.
Washington Post
30-04-2025
- Washington Post
A fresh perspective on the life and films of Pedro Almodóvar
The essential challenge of film books is that their ideal reader has already acquired a certain expertise — and perhaps even a collection of volumes — on the genre or filmmaker in question. Very few people require more than one comprehensive guide to a director's work, which leads to an increasingly narrow focus. James Miller's 'The Passion of Pedro Almodóvar' bucks that trend. By providing a close analysis of seven of Almodóvar's 'more or less autobiographical' movies, Miller promises to 'present an unusual sort of 'self-portrait' of the artist' and to explore the extent to which his mature work 'is engaged in … an implicitly philosophical quest for self-knowledge.'
