A novelist who writes highly popular, yet vapid and generic romantic fiction under a pseudonym, finds herself dissatisfied with her work. With her marriage falling apart, she turns away from romance and pens a bleak realist novel, one which her publishers have no interest in. To complicate matters further, she finds herself hired as a newspaper literary critic who is unknowingly tasked by her editor with reviewing her own work.
The Flower of My Secret was a film in a new direction from Spanish director Pedro Almódovar. He had hitherto been associated with colourful comedies such as the excellent and stylish Kika (1993), but with this film he definitely moved into a more mature and toned down direction. He had made films about women on the edge before of course but this time he was treating the material in a more measured and serious manner. It was an approach that reminded me a little of Woody Allen's move into more drama-based material after years of full-on comedy, in fact this film shares some similar ideas to Allen's Stardust Memories (1980), with its story about a writer who wants to make serious art but is held back by their audience's desire for more of the light-hearted stuff that made them popular in the first place. It could be argued that Almódovar, like Allen, was speaking for himself through his central character in this movie. Whatever the case, this could best be described as a melodrama with the camp elements marginalised. There is still some more typical comedy, however, with all of the scenes involving the writer's mother and sister providing plenty of humour. Marisa Paredes, who is a reliable staple of the Spanish movie scene, is excellent in this lead role. It's a character with a fair bit of depth and one who goes through considerable emotion, and Paredes is very good as the central dramatic core of the movie. The film overall is a strong bit of work from Almódovar and is an early indicator of future serious dramas which he would direct which would to go on to be among the most popular in his career. As it is, this is another fine, less well-known film from the Spanish auteur.
The Flower of My Secret was a film in a new direction from Spanish director Pedro Almódovar. He had hitherto been associated with colourful comedies such as the excellent and stylish Kika (1993), but with this film he definitely moved into a more mature and toned down direction. He had made films about women on the edge before of course but this time he was treating the material in a more measured and serious manner. It was an approach that reminded me a little of Woody Allen's move into more drama-based material after years of full-on comedy, in fact this film shares some similar ideas to Allen's Stardust Memories (1980), with its story about a writer who wants to make serious art but is held back by their audience's desire for more of the light-hearted stuff that made them popular in the first place. It could be argued that Almódovar, like Allen, was speaking for himself through his central character in this movie. Whatever the case, this could best be described as a melodrama with the camp elements marginalised. There is still some more typical comedy, however, with all of the scenes involving the writer's mother and sister providing plenty of humour. Marisa Paredes, who is a reliable staple of the Spanish movie scene, is excellent in this lead role. It's a character with a fair bit of depth and one who goes through considerable emotion, and Paredes is very good as the central dramatic core of the movie. The film overall is a strong bit of work from Almódovar and is an early indicator of future serious dramas which he would direct which would to go on to be among the most popular in his career. As it is, this is another fine, less well-known film from the Spanish auteur.