Somehow I was expecting a much better film, a thriller, something darker.
I was also expecting Antonio Banderas to act better... he wasn't a bad actor in his Spanish era. English was a barrier for him so I thought maybe now after many years without working with Almodóvar he'd be better. No, he wasn't. He also has a sort of strange dubbing... to make his performance more serious? It doesn't work. Perhaps because everyone is outshone by Elena Anaya. She's just perfect in her role, not a hair out of place, the perfect main character... nobody else could have been better.
The film is very stylish. The art and photography are as good as Anaya. But aren't all Almodóvar films like that?
The big problem is the story. It is an adaptation, but very much adapted to Almodóvar's world: transgender characters, crazy people, kidnapping, loving mothers... it's just not all the way weird as most of his films are (if someone is going to kill someone else, they use a gun, not a ham now...). It's also predictable. It's not a story telling problem, it's a plot one. You just know what it's going to happen.
The music. Alberto Iglesias is a good composer. The score isn't bad, it's just too overused. If the suspense isn't in the film, the music won't help a lot. Especially if you use music as a dramatic resource all the time.
It isn't a terrible film but it's not a great film either... which isn't good. See the look on his face? That's how the film leaves you.
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