Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

After leaving jail, Víctor is still in love with Elena, but she's married to the former cop -now basketball player- who became paralysed by a shot from Víctor's gun...(plot), Almodovar is a master story writer--he knows exactly what to tell the viewer and when to tell it, the film was great, the film takes your mind inside the mind of women and men .. inside the mind of infidelity and relationships, the film really a unique it was a combination of social issues in one line!, the acting was super especially by Javier Bardem, the opening scenes with Penelope Cruz was superb, Overall it's a nice movie to see.don't miss this film!,

Pedro Almodovar is a Spanish director known for his fast-paced stories about prostitution, homosexuality, femininity in masculinity and a bunch of other taboos. He often deals with relation between men and women, sexuality and the different manifestations of it. He ironically studies his own culture, which is strongly masculine. He has given us a lot of satirical portrayals, amazing stories and taught us about the beauty in difference. Almodovar started by making short films in 1970's but moved to full length features in the 80's. In 1990's he was highly appreciated in the world of cinema and in 1997 he brought us a new growth story Live Flesh.In 1970's a woman gives birth to a boy in a vacant bus: at the very same night the boy is named Victor and he is granted the ability of traveling via Spanish buses free of charge. 20 years later Victor meets a woman, who couldn't be less interested in him; still Victor cannot get her out of his mind. A series of events and coincidence lead the characters to their own paths, which walk into each other as time goes by.Pedro Almodovar has never been my number one personal favorite, but I've always enjoyed his films: he is a very good storyteller plus his films are hilarious portrayals of the macho-society. The greatest thing in his work is the fact that he has been going up all the time. Film by film he has outdone himself. After Live Flesh he made All About My Mother and Talk to Her, both of which are amazing films and I consider the latter to be his true masterpiece.With regards to the philosophy of film in the work of Almodovar, I see existentialism behind it. His characters are often prostitutes, poor youngsters, people who haven't planned their lives, people who haven't planned to become prostitutes. There is no destiny that guides them. Just as in the films by Eric Rohmer in Almodovar's the events build around coincidence and everything is led by it. All that happens, happens because of coincidence or the minor choices by the characters. Such as David getting into the accident and falling in love with Elena, because of Victor's choice.The existentialism in Almodovar's films is especially from Jean-Paul Sartre. He was a French atheist existentialist who took a lot of influence from Kierkegaard and Heidegger for instance. Sartre said that man is just thrown into this world and by one's actions and choices defines one's own existence. "Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning."Live Flesh is basically a growth story - the growth story of Victor, from his birth to his twenties and the film particularly portrays the growth of his love. Live Flesh is a film, which is both funny and sad, bitter and sweet. It's about love and the yearning of it: a timeless film about love to cut a long story short. The film includes some hilarious ironic descriptions of Spanish men. It works very well just as it is but it is quite interesting to look below the surface: into the philosophy of film and intricate themes and taboos.

Another overstuffed and convoluted vivacious mess from that oft-adored consummately colorful artiste from Spain, Aldmodovar. I'm not quite certain why he felt compelled to include a political prologue and epilogue to what is a melodrama with a sliver of social commentary. Typically, the performances are impassioned and committed, especially Bardem who foreshadows his miraculous wooden turn in "Te Sea Inside." However, what mostly troubled me is Aldmodovar's salacious yearning to portray the men as unworthy of these delectable yet self-righteous femme fatales. Admirable as it may be to avoid such seemingly obvious scenes that display evidence of spousal abuse, Almodovar's alignment with the piously important 'Rabal' smacks more of his selfish sexual longing than out of narrative obligation. That being said, who could avoid feeling longing when such fine physical specimens are shot with such desirable yummyness. My goodness, am I envious of the Spanish skin tone. Both the characterizations and narrative plotting are strongest from the late 1st act through the end of the second. The rest is all a bit far-fetched and trying.

Almodovar is a master story writer--he knows exactly what to tell the viewer and when to tell it. He understands the volatile nature of the film medium, preferring to illustrate the motives of his characters rather than simply state them. As in "Todo Sobre mi Madre" and "Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios," Almodovar uses subtler methods than others to draw attention to important details. The movie holds together like an artfully composed opus, returning to hints given earlier on and embellishing on them. In this way Almodovar will definitely mess with your mind; by the end of the movie your judgments on the characters will make a total about-face.However, the first time viewer should be warned not to take the circumstances too seriously. Almodovar's plots thrive on unlikely circumstances and chance meetings of characters. It is something more akin to the magical realism in literature, not to be taken literally.