Bad Education

AroView: Another fascinating (mid-period) work from Pedro Almodovar, who again matches his renowned taste in decor with adventurous yet controlled storytelling.

Set in Franco-era Spain, it’s unusual three-tier plot tells the story of an ambitious actor and scriptwriter (Mexican superstar Bernal) whose screenplay comes alive in the imagination of a film producer who was also once his childhood friend. The film-within-a-film plot implicates and mutates characters from the ‘real world’ to intriguing (and gender-bending) effect, serving its main theme of identity, and culminating in a third layer and final reel revelation.