JULIETA (Pedro Almodovar). 99 minutes. Subtitled. Opens December 23. Subtitled. See listing. Rating: NNN
Say goodbye to Pedro Almodovars outrageous side at least for now.
His adaptation of Alice Munros meditations on guilt and personal loss stars Emma Suarez as Julieta, a teacher who becomes profoundly depressed after a chance encounter with a friend of her daughters.
Her actions are a mystery for the audience theres a direct reference to Patricia Highsmith and Hitchcockian moments on a train, as well as well as for her love interest, Lorenzo (Dario Grandinetti), who cant fathom whats derailed their plan to move to Portugal.
Through flashbacks Adriana Ugarte plays the younger Julieta we learn of her previous life and why shes been thrown into the deep distress that leads her back to the apartment where she lived with her child.
Fans of Almodovars unruly gender-bending comedies will be disappointed theres only a flash, literally, of queerness but the Spanish auteur knows how to handle introspection. Suarez convincingly conveys Julietas desperation, and the film packs an emotional charge, even if it ends way too abruptly.
Thanks to some beautiful music and the deeply saturated colour palette, its also gorgeous.
