Pain and Glory explained

Pain and Glory
Native Name:
Nolink:yes
Director:
Producer:
Starring:
Music:Alberto Iglesias
Cinematography:José Luis Alcaine
Editing:Teresa Font
Runtime:114 minutes[1]
Studio:El Deseo
Distributor:Sony Pictures Releasing International
Country:Spain
Language:Spanish
Budget:9.6 million[2]
Gross:$37.4 million[3]

Pain and Glory (Spanish; Castilian: '''Dolor y gloria''') is a 2019 Spanish drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar.[4] [5] It stars Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, and Penélope Cruz.[6] [7]

The film was released in Spain on 22 March 2019 to positive reviews.[8] It made its international debut at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or[9] and won two awards: Banderas for Best Actor and Alberto Iglesias for Best Soundtrack.[10] [11] At the 92nd Academy Awards, Pain and Glory was nominated for Best International Feature Film,[12] [13] and Banderas was nominated for Best Actor. Time magazine chose the film as the best movie of 2019.[14]

Plot

Spanish film director Salvador Mallo is in decline, both physically and mentally, which has made him reflective. His chronic back pain and headaches, in particular, have kept him from even considering trying to start a new project for several years, and recently he started to experience persistent and troubling dysphagia.

Flavor, one of Salvador's old films, has just been restored, and he was asked to appear at a screening. He has not seen Alberto Crespo, the lead actor of the film, in 32 years, but he decides to reach out and ask if Alberto will help present Flavor. Their falling-out was centered around Alberto's heroin use during filming, so Alberto, who still smokes heroin, is surprised when Salvador asks for some when he is getting ready to smoke. Under the influence, Salvador remembers moving with his parents into a whitewashed cave-house in Paterna in the 1960s.

When Alberto arrives to take Salvador to the screening, Salvador decides not to go, but the moderator of the planned Q&A gets them to answer audience questions over the phone. Several people ask about the argument between Salvador and Alberto, and Salvador ends up repeating his old criticisms and blurting out that Alberto took heroin during filming. Although he says he now approves of Alberto's performance, Alberto is enraged and leaves.

Salvador starts to regularly take heroin to manage his pain. He remembers when, as a small boy, his mother arranged for him to teach a young man named Eduardo how to read, write, and do math in exchange for work on the cave, and then used this as evidence of his intelligence to gain him admittance to a seminary. He did not want to leave home or become a priest, but because they were poor, his mother saw it as the only way for him to get an education.

To make amends, Salvador agrees to let Alberto stage, as a monologue, a story he wrote about a relationship he had in the early 1980s that fell apart due to his partner's heroin use. Coincidentally, Federico, who the story is about, goes to see the show, and Alberto gives Salvador's contact information to him. When the former lovers meet, Federico says he has been living in Argentina and this is the first time he has come back to Madrid in decades. He reveals that he has a wife, from whom he is separated, and two sons, and he has not dated a man since he broke up with Salvador. On his way out the door, Federico offers to stay the night, but Salvador says they should leave their romantic relationship in the past, and Federico insists Salvador come to Buenos Aires to meet his family.

Once he is alone, Salvador goes to take some heroin, but instead throws it all away. He sees doctors about his pain and dysphagia and admits to his heroin use and that he still has not recovered from either the death of his mother four years earlier or a back surgery two years after that. Salvador remembers when his mother lived with him near the end of her life and relates to his assistant, Mercedes, how she had told him she did not want him to write stories about her and thought he had always blamed her for sending him to the seminary. Although, before his mother died, Salvador was able to apologize for not being the son she wanted, he feels guilty he was not able to take her to her village to die, like he had promised.

Mercedes shows Salvador an invitation to a small art gallery that has a portrait of a small boy on it. He seems to recognize the painting, and, during a CT scan of his neck, remembers when Eduardo started it one day after working at the Mallos' cave-house. Eduardo cleaned himself up before leaving, and Salvador swooned when he went to bring the man a towel and saw Eduardo naked, marking his sexual awakening.

After being told his dysphagia is being caused by a calcified growth in his neck, which can be removed, Salvador goes to the art gallery and learns that the owner had found Eduardo's portrait of him at a flea market. Salvador buys the painting and discovers a letter written on the back in which Eduardo thanks him for his help with writing and math and gives him an updated address so they can stay in touch.

On the way to have his operation, Salvador muses to Mercedes that his mother must have received the portrait but never mentioned it to him at school. Mercedes asks if he will try to find Eduardo, but he says too much time has passed and what matters is that the painting finally made its way to him. Before Salvador loses consciousness from the anesthetic, he mentions to his doctor that he has started writing again. He is then seen on a film set directing a scene from his childhood, in a meta-like ending with Penelope Cruz and Asier Flores.

Production

El Deseo announced plans for the new film in April 2018, confirming Antonio Banderas and Asier Etxeandia as leads with Penélope Cruz and Julieta Serrano in supporting roles.[15] Rosalía's appearance in the film was revealed by her presence in the trailer, which premiered on 31 January 2019.[16] [17]

In May 2018, Almodóvar was pictured researching locations in the Province of Valencia with cinematographer José Luis Alcaine.[18] The following June, Fotogramas reported that a large part of the filming would take place in Valencia, particularly in the municipality of Paterna.[19] The same month, Agustín Almodóvar, the producer of the film,[20] posted a photo on Twitter of his brother, Pedro, on set, which was later followed by photos of Banderas, Sbaraglia, and Cruz together in screen tests for the film.[19]

Agustín Almodóvar announced via Twitter that filming began on 16 July 2018.[21] [22] The 44-day shoot concluded on 15 September.[23]

Release

Pain and Glory was released in Spain on 22 March 2019. It was released in the United Kingdom by Pathé and 20th Century Fox on 23 August,[24] and received a limited release in the United States from Sony Pictures Classics starting on 4 October.[25]

Reception

Box office

The film drew more than 45,000 moviegoers in Spain on the Friday of its release, making it the most-viewed film in the country on that day.[26] [27] It was estimated the film earned €300,000 in its first day[28] and €1.2 million in its debut weekend.[29] By 12 September 2019, the film had grossed a total of €6.5 million in Spain, making it the highest-grossing Spanish film of the year at the box office. Worldwide, Pain and Glory has earned $36.6 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of ; the website's critics consensus reads: "Pain and Glory finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar drawing on his own life to rewarding effect -- and honoring his craft as only a master filmmaker can."[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[31]

Initial Spanish critical reception of the film was generally positive.[32] Pain and Glory received an average score of 7.7/10 from 1,448 reviews on FilmAffinity,[33] and an average critical rating of 4.3/5 from 14 critical reviews on Sensacine.[34] Fotogramas gave the film a 5-star review that complimented the director's artistry.[35] El Periódico de Catalunya also gave the film five stars,[36] while ABC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars,[37] and El Confidencial gave the film 3 out of 5 stars.[38] Catalan daily newspaper Ara compared the film's twilight serenity and checked emotion to that of the masterpiece last films made by John Huston (The Dead) and Carl Theodor Dreyer (Gertrud).[39]

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times gave the film a rave review and chose it as her Critic's pick of the week writing: "A great deal happens in “Pain and Glory,” just not ritualistically and not at top volume. Its agonies are tempered, its regrets hushed, its restraint powerful."[40] She also named it "The Best Movie of 2019".[41]

Time magazine named Pain and Glory as the best film of 2019.[42] The Guardian ranked the film at No. 10 on its list of the "50 best films of 2019".[43] Sight & Sound magazine named it the 6th-best film of the year.[44]

The movie has been said to be an homage to the works of Paul Auster. At one point, while Salvador is in a heroin-induced stupor, Alberto logs on to his computer. As the camera pans across the desktop screen, an icon entitled "Paul Auster" can be seen. The narrative structure and arc of the film, with its many coincidences (Federico stumbling upon the performance of the play; the discovery of Eduardo's portrait of Salvador many years after it was painted) are like a visual depiction of an Auster novel.

In an academic research, Shlomit Lir and Liat Ayalon wrote about the movie in relation to the myth of the absolute creator and of the danger of the process of regression into the world of creative arts, which is actualized in by the protagonist's inability to overcome the residues of the past. According to the authors, the absolute director is so deeply involved in his work that he find it difficult to speak any language other than cinema.[45]

Accolades

+ List of awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryRecipientsResult
2019Cannes Film FestivalPalme d'OrPedro Almodóvar[46]
Best ActorAntonio Banderas[47]
Cannes Soundtrack AwardAlberto Iglesias[48]
Queer PalmPedro Almodóvar
Imagen AwardsBest Feature FilmPedro Almodóvar
International Cinephile Society AwardsPrix du JuryPedro Almodóvar
Best ActorAntonio Banderas
23rd Hollywood Film AwardsBest ActorAntonio Banderas[49]
84th New York Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActorAntonio Banderas[50]
45th Los Angeles Film Critics Association AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmPain and Glory[51]
Best ActorAntonio Banderas
32nd European Film AwardsBest European FilmPain and Glory[52]
EFA Lux AwardPain and Glory
Best DirectorPedro Almodóvar
Best ActorAntonio Banderas
Best ScreenwriterPedro Almodóvar
Best Production DesignerAntxon Gómez[53]
Huading AwardsBest Global Motion PicturePain and Glory[54]
Best Global Director for a Motion PicturePedro Almodóvar
Best Global Actor in a Motion PictureAntonio Banderas
Best Global Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureAsier Etxeandia
Best Global Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureJulieta Serrano
Best Global Writing for a Motion PicturePedro Almodóvar
20209th AACTA International AwardsBest International ActorAntonio Banderas[55]
77th Golden Globe AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmPain and Glory[56]
Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaAntonio Banderas
[57] [58]
Best Actor Antonio Banderas
25th Critics' Choice AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmPain and Glory[59]
Best ActorAntonio Banderas
7th Feroz AwardsPain and Glory
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Antonio Banderas
Asier Etxeandia
Leonardo Sbaraglia
Julieta Serrano
Penélope Cruz
Alberto Iglesias
Jorge Luengo
Best Film Pain and Glory [60] [61]
Best Director Pedro Almodóvar
Best Actor Antonio Banderas
Best Supporting Actor Asier Etxeandia
Best Supporting Actress Julieta Serrano
Penélope Cruz
Best Original Screenplay Pedro Almodóvar
Best Cinematography José Luis Alcaine
Best Editing Teresa Font
Best Original Score Alberto Iglesias
34th Goya AwardsBest FilmPain and Glory[62]
Best DirectorPedro Almodóvar
Best ActorAntonio Banderas
Best ActressPenélope Cruz
Best Supporting ActorAsier Etxeandia
Leonardo Sbaraglia
Best Supporting ActressJulieta Serrano
Best Original ScreenplayPedro Almodóvar
Best CinematographyJosé Luis Alcaine
Best EditingTeresa Font
Best Art DirectionAntxon Gómez
Best Production SupervisionToni Novella
Best SoundSergio Bürmann, Pelayo Gutiérrez and Marc Orts
Best Costume DesignPaola Torres
Best Makeup and HairstylesAna Lozano, Sergio Pérez Berbel and Montse Ribé
Best Original ScoreAlberto Iglesias
73rd British Academy Film AwardsBest Film Not in the English LanguagePedro Almodóvar and Agustín Almodóvar[63]
92nd Academy AwardsBest ActorAntonio Banderas
Best International Feature FilmSpain
22nd Polish Film AwardsBest European FilmPain and Glory
Best Film Actor in a Leading Role Antonio Banderas [64] [65]
Best Film Actress in a Leading Role Penélope Cruz
Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role Asier Etxeandia
Best Film Actor in a Minor Role Leonardo Sbaraglia
Best Film Actress in a Minor Role Julieta Serrano
Susi Sánchez
Pain and Glory
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Antonio Banderas
Alberto Iglesias
Teresa Font
Sergio Bürmann, Pelayo Gutiérrez, Marc Orts
Best European Film Pain and Glory
31st GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding Film – Limited ReleasePain and Glory
Pain and Glory [66]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pain and Glory (15) . . October 10, 2019.
  2. Web site: Los Oscar en los que 'Klaus' y Almodóvar dieron un 'tirón de orejas' a Hollywood. La Información. 9 February 2020. Paula. María.
  3. Web site: Pain and Glory (2019). Box Office Mojo. February 15, 2020.
  4. News: Arranca en Valencia el rodaje de la nueva película de Pedro Almodóvar . 16 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . . es.
  5. Web site: Una comarca de cine. Pedro Almodóvar y Achero Mañas ruedan estos días en Paterna y Torrent . 16 July 2018 . Redacción . 17 July 2018 . es . Hortanoticias.
  6. News: Pedro Almodóvar rueda en Paterna su nueva película, 'Dolor y Gloria' . 17 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . . es . Valencia . Unidad Editorial.
  7. News: Sbaraglia se sumó a la nueva película de Almodóvar . 30 June 2018 . 17 July 2018 . . es . . 1 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180701020437/https://www.lanacion.com.ar/2148799-sbaraglia-se-sumo-a-la-nueva-pelicula-de-almodovar . dead .
  8. Web site: Sony Pictures to Release Pedro Almodovar's 'Pain & Glory' (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Anna. Marie De La Fuente. December 13, 2018. December 13, 2018.
  9. Web site: Cannes festival 2019: full list of films . The Guardian . 18 April 2019.
  10. Web site: Bong Joon-ho's Parasite Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes . Variety . 25 May 2019 . 26 May 2019.
  11. Web site: Bong Joon-ho's Parasite wins Palme d'Or at Cannes film festival . The Guardian . 25 May 2019 . 26 May 2019.
  12. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria', de Pedro Almodóvar, representará a España en los Oscar 2020 . Jesús . Jiménez . . 5 September 2019. es . 5 September 2019.
  13. Web site: Oscars: Spain Picks Pedro Almodovar's 'Pain and Glory' for International Feature Category . 2019 by Benjamin . Jones . The Hollywood Reporter . 5 September 2019 . 5 September 2019.
  14. The 10 Best Movies of 2019. Time. Stephanie. Zacharek. November 25, 2019. December 3, 2019.
  15. Pedro Almodovar, Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz Team Up on 'Dolor y Gloria' . John . Hopewell . Emiliano . de Pablos . 17 April 2018 . 7 March 2019 . .
  16. News: Se estrena el primer tráiler de 'Dolor y Gloria', de Almodóvar, y sí: aparece Rosalía . Alejandro . Gómez Lizárraga . 31 January 2019 . 7 March 2019 . Los 40.
  17. News: Rosalía aparece en el tráiler de la nueva película de Almodóvar . 18 February 2019 . 7 March 2019 . . es.
  18. News: Pedro Almodóvar recorre Paterna en busca de localizaciones para su nueva película . Carmen . Velasco . 5 May 2018 . 7 March 2019 . . es . Valencia . Vocento.
  19. 'Dolor y gloria: primera imagen de Pedro Almodóvar en el set . Juan . Silvestre . 18 June 2018 . 7 March 2019 . Fotogramas . es . Hearst Magazines International.
  20. News: Comienza en Paterna el rodaje de la nueva película de Almodóvar . 16 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . . es . Editorial Prensa Valenciana, S.A..
  21. News: Play Cine . Comienza el rodaje de "Dolor y gracia", la nueva película de Almodóvar . 16 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . . es . Madrid.
  22. News: EFE . EFE . Arranca el rodaje de la nueva película de Almodóvar . 17 July 2018 . 17 July 2018 . Diario de Córdoba . es.
  23. Finaliza el rodaje de 'Dolor y gloria' de Pedro Almodóvar . Mireia . Mullor . 16 September 2018 . 7 March 2019 . Fotogramas . es . Hearst Magazines International.
  24. Web site: Pedro Almodóvar's 'Pain and Glory' gets a new teaser trailer!. 28 February 2019. 18 April 2019.
  25. Web site: Pedro Almodovar's 'Pain & Glory' Set For October 4 Bow By Sony Pictures Classics. Deadline Hollywood. Mike Jr.. Fleming. 1 May 2019. 1 May 2019.
  26. News: 'Dolor y gloria' de Almodóvar supera los 45.000 espectadores en su estreno . 23 March 2019 . 28 March 2019 . . es . Unidad Editorial.
  27. News: El nuevo filme de Almodóvar encabeza la taquilla en su estreno . 23 March 2019 . 28 March 2019 . . Grupo Zeta . es.
  28. Web site: "DOLOR Y GLORIA", DE PEDRO ALMODÓVAR, FUE EN SU ESTRENO AYER LA PELÍCULA MÁS VISTA DE LOS CINES ESPAÑOLES . Óscar . TA . 23 March 2019 . 28 March 2019 . El Blog de Cine Español . es.
  29. Web site: "DOLOR Y GLORIA", DE PEDRO ALMODÓVAR, MEJOR ESTRENO DEL CINE ESPAÑOL 2019 . 24 March 2019 . 28 March 2019 . El Blog de Cine Español . es.
  30. Web site: Pain and Glory (2019). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. .
  31. Web site: Pain and Glory Reviews . . . 25 December 2019.
  32. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria' se convierte en el mejor estreno español del año. Por Juan. Silvestre. 25 March 2019. Fotogramas. 18 April 2019.
  33. Web site: Dolor y gloria (2019). 18 April 2019. www.filmaffinity.com.
  34. Web site: Dolor y Gloria. SensaCine. 18 April 2019. www.sensacine.com.
  35. Web site: Dolor y gloria. Por Beatriz. Martínez. 18 March 2019. Fotogramas. 18 April 2019.
  36. Web site: CRÍTICA - Crítica de 'Dolor y gloria': el artista (Almodóvar) ante sí mismo. Quim. Casas. 20 March 2019. elperiodico. 18 April 2019.
  37. Web site: Crítica de "Dolor y gloria": Todo sobre mí y mi madre. 21 March 2019. abc. 18 April 2019.
  38. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria': Pedro Almodóvar se desnuda... pero no tanto. 24 March 2019. El Confidencial. 18 April 2019.
  39. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria', Pedro Almodóvar a la recerca del temps perdut. 2019-03-21. Ara.cat. ca-ES. 2019-07-13.
  40. Web site: Dargis. Manohla. 'Pain and Glory' Review: Almodóvar's Dazzling Art of Self-Creation. New York Times. 3 October 2019.
  41. News: Best Movies of 2019. New York Times. 4 December 2019. Scott. A. O.. Dargis. Manohla.
  42. News: The 10 Best Movies of 2019 . Stephanie . Zacharek . 25 November 2019 . 26 November 2019 . TIME.
  43. Web site: The 50 best films of 2019 in the UK: the full list. The Guardian. 20 December 2019.
  44. Web site: The 50 best films of 2019. bfi.org. 23 December 2019.
  45. Web site: The Ethos of the Auteur as Father of the Film Craft - On Masculinity, Creativity and the Art of Filmmaking. Academia. 21 February 2022.
  46. News: Máxima expectación en Cannes por Almodóvar: ¿huele a Palma de Oro? . Marta . Medina . 18 May 2019 . 26 May 2019 . . es . Titania Compañía Editorial, S.L..
  47. News: Antonio Banderas gana el premio a mejor actor en Cannes: la Palma de Oro va para el coreano Bong Joon-ho . Pepa . Blanes . 25 May 2019 . 26 May 2019 . . es.
  48. News: La banda sonora de 'Dolor y Gloria', compuesta por Alberto Iglesias, gana en Cannes el premio a la mejor música original . 25 May 2019 . 26 May 2019 . . es.
  49. Web site: Hollywood Film Awards 2019 Winners List (So Far): Antonio Banderas, Renée Zellweger, Al Pacino, Laura Dern,'Endgame', More – Update. Hipes. Patrick. 2019-10-22. Deadline. en. 2019-10-25.
  50. News: New York Film Critics Circle Picks 'The Irishman' as Best Film. Buchanan. Kyle. 2019-12-04. The New York Times. en. 2019-12-06.
  51. Web site: LA Film Critics Association Announces 2019 Winners (Updating List). IndieWire. Ryan. Lattanzio. December 8, 2019. December 8, 2019.
  52. Web site: EFA Nominations - European Film Awards. www.europeanfilmawards.eu. 2019-11-11. 2019-11-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20191109211336/https://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/nomination-current. dead.
  53. Web site: JURY UNVEILS FIRST EIGHT EFA WINNERS. www.europeanfilmawards.eu. en. 2019-11-19.
  54. Web site: The list of Huading Award winners exposed "The Wandering Earth" defeated "Parasite" and won the best film. hk01. October 29, 2020. October 29, 2020.
  55. Web site: 'Parasite' Named Best Picture by Australia's AACTA Awards. The Hollywood Reporter. Etan. Vlessing. January 3, 2020. January 3, 2020.
  56. Web site: Golden Globes Nominations: 'Marriage Story', Netflix, 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Lead Way In Film – Full List Of Nominations. Deadline Hollywood. Patrick. Hipes. December 9, 2019. December 9, 2019.
  57. Web site: Premios Forqué 2020: de 'Dolor y Gloria' a 'La trinchera infinita', todos los nominados. El Confidencial. 21 November 2019.
  58. Web site: Así queda el palmarés de los Premios Forqué 2020. Fotogramas. María. Aller. 11 January 2020.
  59. Web site: "ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD" NAMED BEST PICTURE TAKES FOUR AWARDS AT 25th ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS. Broadcast Film Critics Association. January 12, 2020. January 26, 2020.
  60. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria' encabeza las nominaciones en la 75ª edición de las Medallas del Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. Audiovisual451. 3 January 2020.
  61. Web site: 'Dolor y gloria' logra cinco Medallas del Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. audiovisual451. 21 January 2020.
  62. News: Lang. Jamie. 'Pain and Glory,' 'While at War,' 'Endless Trench' Lead Goya Nominations. December 2, 2019 . . December 2, 2019.
  63. Web site: 'Joker' Leads BAFTA 2020 Nominations. Alex. Ritman. The Hollywood Reporter. 6 January 2020. 7 January 2020.
  64. Web site: XXIX Premios de la Unión de Actores y Actrices: Lista completa de finalistas. Fotogramas. 11 February 2020. Juan. Silvestre.
  65. Web site: Los repartos de 'Dolor y gloria' y 'Estoy vivo' triunfan en los 29º Premios de la Unión de Actores y Actrices. Audiovisual451. 10 March 2020. es. 11 January 2022.
  66. Web site: "Dolor y gloria" gana mexicano premio Ariel a mejor película iberoamericana. La Vanguardia. 28 September 2020.