'Julieta' is straightforward by Almodovar standards
Pedro Almod贸var鈥檚 鈥淛ulieta鈥� is designed in big, bright colors 鈥� red and聽blue, primarily. This is not one of聽Almod贸var鈥檚 antic frolics, nor is it one聽of his corrosively dark fantasias. Based on a trio of Alice Munro stories,聽it鈥檚 relatively straightforward, at least by聽Almod贸var鈥檚 standards. It鈥檚聽about Julieta, played in middle age by聽Emma Su谩rez, who may have聽discovered the whereabouts of her long-lost daughter, Antia, now an adult,聽with whom she had a fraught relationship. Most of Julieta鈥檚 relationships,聽especially with men, including her ex-husband, have been fraught. She聽has taken it upon herself to be the one to blame. She has martyred herself,聽unfairly from what we can see, to her victimhood.
Almod贸var聽periodically inserts a series of flashback sequences聽involving the young Julieta (played by Adriana Ugarte), her child, and Julieta's聽abusive fisherman husband (Daniel Grao), and after a while, past and聽present create an alluring and sorrowful continuum.聽Almod贸var聽is聽attempting to create a continuum of genres as well, one that particularly involves the聽traditional Hollywood 鈥渨omen鈥檚 picture鈥� and film noir. That he doesn鈥檛聽altogether succeed is perhaps due to the fact that聽Almod贸var聽is too聽enraptured by old movie conventions to give them a new life. Grade: B (Rated聽R for some sexuality/nudity.)
