The Flower of My Secret (1995)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Middle-aged romance author Leo writes under a pseudonym, since she despises her own work. At home, her husband, who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. As she reevaluates her life and writing, Leo is led to an unexpected relationship with Ángel, a sensitive newspaper editor.
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What critics compared The Flower of My Secret to
A stint in prison introduced him to Diego, (Jordi Molla, "The Flower of My Secret") a Columbian who became his partner working with notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis, "The Insider") initiating the white powder into the United States in director Ted Demme's "Blow."
While THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET has its flaws, it seems to be the fountain from which all of his later work flows.
Such demands are understandable but unwarranted for "Volver," his 16th film and his most easily digestible movie since 1995's "The Flower of My Secret" (no bendy narratives this time).
As in some of the director's earlier dramas, such as All About My Mother and The Flower of My Secret, this is a largely gynocratic world, where traditional women's concerns—a well-cooked meal, a bargain on groceries, the right haircut—matter deeply.
From the misanthropic "Kika," to the histrionics of "The Flower of My Secret," to the crazy vibrance of "Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" and "Dark Habits," Almodovar has traipsed all over the emotional map.
I will note, however, that I had not seen Almodovar's The Flower of My Secret (1995) at the time of that review, and it's worth pointing out that there's a fascinating connection between the two films -- which I won't spoil for anyone, because it's so essentially Almodovar to find this kind of playful link between films.
But since 1996's "The Flower of My Secret," and most alarmingly with "Live Flesh" from 1997, he's been experimenting with a formalism that felt conventional, like someone was standing over him saying, "Oh, behave!"