Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria)

— This is a very good film and a reminder just how talented Pedro Almodovar is. It’s the story of a fairly famous, aging film director whose physical and psychological ailments have sidelined him from writing and directing. Feeling alone and depressed, and with too much time on his hands, he looks not just at his present but at his life as an entirety. I can’t think of a film that's done a better job of letting past and present exist together, and of easily moving from one to the other. It’s a soft-edged bit of memory, but vivid as well thanks to some gorgeous cinematography and set design. Because it does slip across decades, there’s some shifting of perceived reality going on and the potential to question past decisions, to wonder if the person you are in the present is the result of the path taken in the past, or if you are simply the only person you could be. For those who still think of an endless road ahead, it may be a less satisfying journey, but those who have looked back at all the pivotal and often painful times in their lives and gathered emotional strength by putting the experiences behind them and yet valuing the experiences as part of them, will appreciate the tone and fluid nature of time that comes through in the story. Antonio Banderas’ nuanced portrayal of the main character deserves special note as well.

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[2019. 113 min. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Starring Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonard Sbaraglia, and Penelope Cruz.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pain-and-glory-2019