neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Bad Education
	Pedro Almodóvar Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lluís Homar, Javier Cámara, Petra Martínez, Nacho Pérez, Raúl García Forneiro 2004		Ascendant Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, internationally glorified for his vibrant work in "Amores Perros," "Y Tu Mamá También," "The Crime of Father Amaro" and "The Motorcycle Diaries," dons the wig, makeup and gown of a female impersonator for the noir-ish "Bad Education," his first go-round with revered Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. But that's not all that García Bernal does in the film, playing what amounts to three different characters in an unsettling, complex and often seductive mystery about shifting identities and recovered (or perhaps invented) memory. Almodóvar brings together some of his usual concerns, especially authoritarian repression and issues of gender and sexuality, and turns up the melodrama. Opening in Madrid, 1980, "Bad Education" introduces Enrique Goded, a successful young director in search of an idea for his next film. A boyish stranger (García Bernal) shows up at Enrique's office and introduces himself as Ignacio, a very close friend from the director's youth. According to the visitor, he and Enrique shared more than simple companionship at the religious school they attended. But is this really Ignacio, now a cabaret performer eager to star in Enrique's upcoming movie, or is he a good-looking phony working a scam? And is there more to Ignacio's past than Enrique knows? "Bad Education" is self-indulgent. It's also passionate, humorous and well acted by Bernal, who is, by the way, pretty hot in drag.


	Sunday, November 17, 2024





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