Matador

Normally I am a fan of Pedro Almodovar's unique take in his films, but this one from 1986 was difficult to decipher... some parts were so ridiculous I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be some sort of joke!  Do I read it on the surface and make excuses like "oh, it's a foreign film" or "oh, it's just super dated" or do I attempt to give Almodovar the benefit of the doubt and assume he is making a deeper comment on the flaws in our society?  hmmm...

A film he did a few years later in 1990 - Tie Me Up!  Tie Me Down! (also starring Antonio Banderas) - was very similar to this one; a bit jumpy and disconnected, and thoroughly sexual.  In my opinion his most outstanding work was one of his recent films, the 2011 The Skin I Live In, which had similar themes and the same leading man, and is a fine example of the evolution of a talented director.