"Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar

Posted by: MadridMan

"Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/20/04 07:28 PM

Has anyone seen Pedro Almodóvar's newest movie "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación"? I've been hearing great things about it so far. Has anyone else seen it yet? How'd you like it?

There's a recent article about it on USATODAY.com's page HERE . I'll copy part of the article below...:

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'Bad Education' a difficult course
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

The Spanish title of Pedro Almodóvar's latest film means more than it connotes in English. Bad Education, translated to La Mala Educación, is a play on a Spanish expression that refers to someone who is ill-behaved or badly brought up. That would only begin to describe the pedophiliac priest who is the principal of a boys' school around whom this story revolves.

As the scandal involving pederast priests in the Roman Catholic church has rocked the United States, similar abominations have gone on around the world. This is a movie about the sexual and emotional abuse in Spain, one of the most Catholic of countries. It is also about the traumatic after-effects experienced by the victim and the perpetrator. It is relentlessly dark. No one is heroic, several are unscrupulous and no one is left unscathed.

Bad Education is a thriller with a subplot involving a love story with graphic depictions of adult homosexuality. Ignacio (Gael García Bernal) approaches Enrique (Fele Martínez), his old school friend who is now a successful filmmaker, with a screenplay about his childhood, early molestation and subsequent revenge. Intrigued, Enrique makes the film. So what we are watching is a movie within a movie, with surprising twists in each.

..(snipped out part of the article here to shorten it)..

Though Almodóvar has dealt with disturbing subjects before (the rape of a comatose young woman in Talk to Her and gay-bashing in All About My Mother), this is by far his most tragic story. His previous films always have included some shred of hope, even if ambiguously presented. But Bad Education focuses on vengeance without any hope of redemption, which may be a more honest and believable approach to a story of child rape. But its grim reality makes it one of the year's toughest movies to watch.
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Posted by: Pingüino

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/20/04 10:24 PM

MM,
I saw it the other night. Although I knew it was an Almodovar film, I had no idea what the subject was. I didn't particularly like this film as I am utterly put off by pedophilia - straight or gay. Unlike Talk to Her, Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, or All about my Mother, it was devoid of any likable characters.
Having said that, the acting and production were typically Almodovar - great.
Posted by: Eddie

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/21/04 08:49 AM

For us English speakers who sometimes use the wrong word: mal educado means 'gross' or as Puig says 'ill behaved.' Culto is the word in Castellano that describes someone well educated.
Puig writes:
Quote:
The Spanish title of Pedro Almodóvar's latest film means more than it connotes in English. Bad Education, translated to La Mala Educación, is a play on a Spanish expression that refers to someone who is ill-behaved or badly brought up. That would only begin to describe the pedophiliac priest who is the principal of a boys' school around whom this story revolves.
I am a great fan of Pedro Almodovar and I plan to see this movie as soon as it comes to Philadelphia.
BTW
From his bizarre dress and extravagant presence, I was under the impression that Pedro Almodovar was Gay. The theme of this movie: a Pedophile, homosexual priest preying on students, suggests that I may have been mistaken ... rolleyes
Posted by: salamanca02

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/21/04 11:44 PM

Does anyone know when this movie comes out in DVD in the States??......... Muchas gracias!
Posted by: Bricamb

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/24/04 03:13 AM

Eddie, I don't understand why you feel a homosexual director cannot make a film about pedophiles....?
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/24/04 08:49 AM

Wll, I don't know wether he has acknowledged it, but I believe that he is gay. But he critisizes everithing he sees wrong, maybe he once was that child, or maybe he just hates that behaviour, regardless of sex tendence.
Posted by: Jana

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 11/24/04 03:06 PM

I heard an interview he gave last week. He says the movie gives the message that pedophilia is unequivocally wrong. I must admit, I find his movies disturbing and usually pass on them, but I definitely want to see this one.

Eddie, please don't equate homosexuality with pedophilia. There are plenty of heterosexual pedophiles. They are all vile, but sexual orientation is irrelevant.
Posted by: Emilio J

Re: "Bad Education"/"La Mala Educación" movie by Almodóvar - 12/03/04 10:11 PM

Quote:
Wll, I don't know wether he has acknowledged it, but I believe that he is gay.
He doesn't hide his sexual preferences: he's gay. Anyway, he don't use to talk about his private life in interviews.

I agree Pingüino: no lovable characters or a enjoyable Almodovar's typical story. but, as an art piece, the film is brilliant (acting, direction, art direction, etc).