The advertisements for Broken Embraces promise that Penelope Cruz is as 'beguiling as ever'. In fact her character is really neither here nor there and has none of the beguiling quality as the role she played in Volver.
However, we get to see her naked breasts. It's the high point of the film. Not just because she has lovely naked breasts, but also because it is the only segment of the film that feels like Almodóvar remembers that there's an audience watching his vanity project. The (intended) viewer stops breathing the moment Penelope Cruz's breasts appear on the screen but, just as this viewer is drawn into a dreamy state of desire, she pukes up after having sex with her creepy old lover, sex she's only having for the sake of her career. You, the viewer, are that creepy old man exploiting your position to indulge in someone else's beauty. It's a real moment, from the yearning and tender feeling of desire to the violent wave of revulsion. Two sackfuls of beauty.
Otherwise I found the film very dull, and the 'funny' segment towards the end seemed completely off-key. Almodóvar, his women come spilling out of the screen, but I just don't believe him, he's a liar.
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