"Volver" gives us an ensemble of females to root for and a couple of low-life males to despise (one unseen). What do you think Almodovar's thoughts are about men and women? This is only my second film of his, but I'm reminded somewhat of the women and men in "Women on the Verge," who didn't exactly make beautiful music together.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The sexes
"Volver" gives us an ensemble of females to root for and a couple of low-life males to despise (one unseen). What do you think Almodovar's thoughts are about men and women? This is only my second film of his, but I'm reminded somewhat of the women and men in "Women on the Verge," who didn't exactly make beautiful music together.
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He seems to see some women as strong and good and some men as evil. I'm not sure I'm ready to say anything more generalized after watching only these two films. (This was his 17th film!)
I read somewhere that the director is gay. Does that have anything to do with how he perceives women? I don't know, but I loved watching a film that was built around strong, interesting women and their relationships with each other.
There were several lingering shots of Penelope Cruz's cleavage...
Yes, her cleavage with a pendant wedged in it.
I think Almodovar definitely empathizes a lot with women (maybe at least partly because he's gay and understands sexual oppression and discrimination). And Spain is a very macho culture — like institutionalized machismo. There was sense that women had no one to rely on but one another. If your dad impregnates you, or your husband tries to rape your daughter, there's apparently no thought of going to the police, presumably because seeking the protection of the law (what scant protection it might offer) is not a productive option in a culture that feeds off the sexual intimidation and shaming of women.
Good to see you, Sara!
So perhaps what he's saying is more about Spanish culture than it is about any perceived universal differences between men and women.
That's interesting. The Spanish machismo thing makes sense.
Speaking of Penelope's curves, I read somewhere that she wore butt padding in this movie because Almodovar thought she was too skinny. I thought her butt still looked pretty small.
I didn't notice her butt in this movie, but I have noticed before how extremely skinny she is. I was surprised she was able to produce that much cleavage.
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