 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|
|
 email this review to a friend
"The character Father Manalo isn't a weapon thrown against the Catholic Church, which has problems to solve, including priests' sexuality. If celibacy didn't exist, there wouldn't be so many cases of abuse" - Pedro Almodovar on his film "Bad Education" The depiction of the abuse of power by Father Manalo on the two pupils Ignacio and Enrique gave us contrast to what the characters have turned into in the 1980's . This is the time in Spain where everyone is immersed in newly found freedom ( as opposed to the repression in the 60's). Now we see the characters older, more in control of their bodies and destinies. In the film, we see the three characters thru different mirrors. Firstly in their real story. Secondly, in the short story as told by Ignacio in "The Visit." Thirdly, in the film adaptation made by the filmmaker Enrique. We are thrown in a time warp of three realities back and forth to sift thru what for us will be the crux of the story. In the midst of things, filmmaker Almodovar puts us through the haze of the Film Noir Genre Glasses. Many things are dark and bleek. There is that sea of black in the darkness of the dormitory room, the priests' habit and in the darkness of the characters' future. The symbolic femme fatale played by Gael Garcia Bernal ensues vendetta, seduction and eventual death of someone at the end. Gael's characters in whatever incarnation is the femme fatale – the serpent, the temptress ( watch for his Zahara character in a Serpentina outfit by Jean Paul Gaultier). The Film Noir genre would not be complete without the femme fatale. The serpent temptress needs to have an "Adam" to seduce. This is the director Enrique Goded ( Fele Martinez) who falls for all of this eventhough he has a gut geeling that he shouldn't. Inspite of him finding out the secret of the temptress he falls for the temptation – he makes the movie "The Visit."The complete the triumvirate is the devil himself. Father Manalo who is in two incarnations. One is in the flashback/movie ( Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and years hence as defrocked priest now publisher Mr Berenguer ( Lluis Homar) Aninteresting turn of fate as Father Manalo the abuser becomes eventually the abused as he is laired by the femme fatale. The male to male relationships even though dabbled with a pseudo female (transvestite) character still has the same mechanics as an ordinary hetorsexual relationships. They are still powered by the lust for power and sex which is often confused for love. There is always an abuser and abusee angle and gets spiced up by status reversals. Abuse of power is the root of all evil. In "Bad Education" the lust for power is what ignites the movie, and if that power is given to the wrong hands the drama ensues. We are all surrounded by all this power struggle at work at school – everywhere. Almodovar always piques our interest by showing us bigger than life characters on screen. After all the excitement, the intrigue and controversy, Almodovar leaves us with the feeling that all monsters seem real. I think I know them personally by their first names. email this review to a friend
Comment on this Review:
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RSS | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | About MatchFlick® | Press | Contact Us | FAQs
Partnership and Advertising Opportunities | Movie Database | Merchandise ©2004-2008 MatchFlick®. All rights reserved. ©MOVIE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS |