DramaRomanceThriller

Broken Embraces

- Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity.

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.

Release Date : 2009-03-18

Language :EnglishSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : El Deseo

Production Country : Spain

Alternative Titles : Broken Hugs

Cast

Character Name : Lena

Original Name : Penélope Cruz

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mateo Blanco / Harry Caine

Original Name : Lluís Homar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Judit García

Original Name : Blanca Portillo

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ernesto Martel

Original Name : José Luis Gómez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray X

Original Name : Rubén Ochandiano

Gender : Male

Character Name : Diego

Original Name : Tamar Novas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lena's Mother

Original Name : Ángela Molina

Gender : Female

Character Name : Concierge

Original Name : Chus Lampreave

Gender : Female

Character Name : Madame Mylene

Original Name : Kiti Mánver

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lip Reader

Original Name : Lola Dueñas

Gender : Female

Character Name : Edurne

Original Name : Mariola Fuentes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Chon

Original Name : Carmen Machi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Model

Original Name : Kira Miró

Gender : Female

Character Name : Julieta

Original Name : Rossy de Palma

Gender : Female

Character Name : Álex

Original Name : Alejo Sauras

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Carlos Sampedro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lena's Father

Original Name : Ramón Pons

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Coté Soler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maribel

Original Name : Marta Aledo

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Carlos Leal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Blasco

Original Name : Chema Ruiz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray X's Boyfriend

Original Name : Dani Martín

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jöns Pappila

Gender : Male

Character Name : Luis

Original Name : Javi Coll

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Juan Bautista Cucarella

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Lyng Dyrup

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Enrique Aparicio

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Enrique Vargas

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Viviana Espinoza

Gender : Female

Character Name : Montador de Avid

Original Name : Fernando Lueches

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Fernando Iglesias

Gender : Male

Character Name : Camello

Original Name : Javier Giner

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Carlos García Cambero

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Bina Daigeler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gardener

Original Name : Agustín Almodóvar

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Esther García

Gender : Female

Character Name : Production Assistant

Original Name : Karola Sánchez

Gender : Female

Character Name : Cinearte Receptionist (uncredited)

Original Name : Yuyi Beringola

Gender : Female

Character Name : Man Walking the Dog and Greeting Lena's Mother (uncredited)

Original Name : José Coromina

Gender : Male

Character Name : Assistant Director (uncredited)

Original Name : Sergio Díaz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vecino Enrollado Bar (uncredited)

Original Name : Jaime Fernández-Cid Buscató

Gender : Male

Reviews

badelf

@badelf

2025-05-03

Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema In "Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar doesn't so much break new ground as he refines the soil he has long cultivated. Following masterworks like "Talk to Her" and "Volver," this film represents not a revolution but an elegant culmination of the Spanish auteur's preoccupations, filtered through a distinctly Hitchcockian lens. The film unfolds as a complex origami of narrative, with time folding back upon itself to reveal the tragic love story between filmmaker Mateo Blanco and his muse Lena. Here, Almodóvar pays homage to Hitchcock's fascination with voyeurism, doomed romance, and the thin line between creation and destruction. The film's noir elements – jealousy, revenge, hidden identities – feel like deliberate nods to the Master of Suspense, yet remain unmistakably Almodóvarian in their execution. At the center of this kaleidoscopic narrative stands Penélope Cruz, delivering a performance of remarkable complexity. As Lena, she exists simultaneously as object and subject, victim and agent of her own destiny. Cruz accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of projecting emotional transparency while maintaining an enigmatic core – we feel we know Lena intimately yet remain haunted by her fundamental unknowability. It's a testament to Cruz's evolution as an actress under Almodóvar's guidance. The meta-cinematic aspects of "Broken Embraces" – the film-within-a-film, the exploration of directorial vision (and its literal loss), the power dynamics of the creative process – create a hall of mirrors where art and life endlessly reflect one another. Almodóvar seems to be commenting on his own relationship with cinema, suggesting that creation itself is a form of obsessive love. Visually, the film showcases Almodóvar's mastery of color symbolism and compositional precision. Each frame feels deliberately constructed, with his signature vibrant palette serving narrative purpose rather than mere aesthetic pleasure. The contrast between the warm, sensual tones of the love affair and the cooler, more austere palette of the aftermath tells its own emotional story. "Broken Embraces" may not represent a dramatic leap forward in Almodóvar's filmography, but it demonstrates something equally valuable: a master filmmaker confidently synthesizing his influences and obsessions into a work of surprising emotional resonance. Like Hitchcock's later films, it feels like the work of an artist less interested in shocking his audience than in revealing the profound mysteries that have always driven his creative vision.