Yolanda Bell (Cristina Sánchez Pascual), a bolero singer, addicted to drugs, risky and ambiguous, sees her boyfriend (Will Moore) die before her eyes from an overdose of adulterated heroin. Scared, she decides to disappear and seclude herself in a convent belonging to a very particular order, "Redentoras Humilladas", whose Mother Superior is a great cheerleader for Yolanda, whom she has seen in the "Molino Rojo". For many years these nuns have been trying to save girls from wayward lives from sin, although lately the convent is going through a crisis. So nightsinger Yolanda is impelled, via a bit of drug trouble, into the arms of the Mother Superior. Yolanda is well received, especially by the Mother Superior, who likes young girls, and who usually becomes a drug addict and friend of all the girls who pass through the convent of 'Humble Redeemers'. Lying low in in spacious cell, decked with the trappings of Catholic kitsch, Yolanda finds the demands of the religious life needn't cramp her style too much. These off-beat nuns include a heroin using abbess (Julieta Serrano) who loves Yolanda, one (Chus Lampreave) who writes romance novels under a pseudonym, another (radiant Carmen Maura) is spotted from a bedroom window raising and wrestling a tiger in the convent yard, and one (Lina Canajejas) who designs fabulous fashions and is in love with the local priest (Manuel Zarzo). They plan an evening extravaganza starring Yolanda to celebrate the abbess's birthday and to convince their wealthy patron (Mary Carrillo) not to leave them.
Third feature film by Pedro Almodóvar, it is slapdash, occassionally slow-moving, haphazardly plotted, with the action centered around the reverend mothers of a very 'sui generis' convent. That's also wildly fun, bitchy, affecting and surreal is a tribute to his perennial warmth and wit. This funny film is a production in low-budget by producer Hervé Hachuel who only asked Pedro to have Cristina Sánchez Pascual as the off-the-wall starring. A typical Almodovar film, covering everything from drugs, disconcerting scenes, nunexploitation, profanities, lesbianism, bad taste, with plenty of outlandish characters, and attractive songs, such as: ¨Salí porque salí¨ performed by Sol Pilas, ¨Feelings¨(Pour Toi) music by Louis Gasté, ¨Encadenados¨performed by Lucho Gatica and ¨Suck It to Me¨performed by Pedro Almodóvar & Fabio McNamara. Pedro builds an apparent and formal melodrama, although without reaching the later brilliance of ¨The Law of Desire¨ with an incredibly delirious background around some unusual nuns (Sor Rata del Callejón, Sor Perdida, Sor Víbora, Sor Estiercol ...) with impossible, torn, sad and self-destructive fates. The poster of the Spanish film was designed by writer/director Iván Zulueta. With this film Almodóvar addresses the topic of religion for the first time, beginning his collaboration with Chus Lampreave, Carmen Maura, Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes and other actresses who became emblematic in his cinema. It was the first popular hit since his two previous films: ¨Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón¨ (1980) and ¨Laberinto de pasiones¨ (1982) were not as successful. The whole thing winds up with the inevitable scandal and is almost completely silly; but as ever, Almodóvar's adoration of his female stars is heart-warming and his visual style a delight.
Almodovar's first film was ¨Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón¨(1980): portraying life in Madrid during the punk and ¨La Movida¨, it was lousily realized and devoid of laughs. This is really his worst film; however , subsequently his style to be compellingly purified, and following: ¨Laberinto de pasiones¨. Developing his own trademaks , as he often uses symbolism and metaphorical techniques to portray circular story lines. In in his later films Almodóvar directs throughout with splendid zip and he usually portrays strong female characters and transsexuals . In 1987, he and his brother Agustín Almodóvar established their own production company: El Deseo, S. A. The "Almodóvar phenomenon" has reached all over the world, making his films very popular in many countries. Pedro subsequently made successes such as: ¨Labyrinth of passions¨, ¨Law of desire¨, ¨Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown¨ , ¨Bad education¨, ¨All about my mother¨, ¨Talk to her¨, ¨Broken embraces¨ , ¨The Skin I Live In¨, ¨I'm So Excited¨, ¨Julieta¨, ¨Dolor y Gloria¨ and many others¨. ¨Dark Habits¨ (Entre tinieblas, 1983) rating: 6/10. Only for completists of Almodovar's fruitful career.
Third feature film by Pedro Almodóvar, it is slapdash, occassionally slow-moving, haphazardly plotted, with the action centered around the reverend mothers of a very 'sui generis' convent. That's also wildly fun, bitchy, affecting and surreal is a tribute to his perennial warmth and wit. This funny film is a production in low-budget by producer Hervé Hachuel who only asked Pedro to have Cristina Sánchez Pascual as the off-the-wall starring. A typical Almodovar film, covering everything from drugs, disconcerting scenes, nunexploitation, profanities, lesbianism, bad taste, with plenty of outlandish characters, and attractive songs, such as: ¨Salí porque salí¨ performed by Sol Pilas, ¨Feelings¨(Pour Toi) music by Louis Gasté, ¨Encadenados¨performed by Lucho Gatica and ¨Suck It to Me¨performed by Pedro Almodóvar & Fabio McNamara. Pedro builds an apparent and formal melodrama, although without reaching the later brilliance of ¨The Law of Desire¨ with an incredibly delirious background around some unusual nuns (Sor Rata del Callejón, Sor Perdida, Sor Víbora, Sor Estiercol ...) with impossible, torn, sad and self-destructive fates. The poster of the Spanish film was designed by writer/director Iván Zulueta. With this film Almodóvar addresses the topic of religion for the first time, beginning his collaboration with Chus Lampreave, Carmen Maura, Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes and other actresses who became emblematic in his cinema. It was the first popular hit since his two previous films: ¨Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón¨ (1980) and ¨Laberinto de pasiones¨ (1982) were not as successful. The whole thing winds up with the inevitable scandal and is almost completely silly; but as ever, Almodóvar's adoration of his female stars is heart-warming and his visual style a delight.
Almodovar's first film was ¨Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón¨(1980): portraying life in Madrid during the punk and ¨La Movida¨, it was lousily realized and devoid of laughs. This is really his worst film; however , subsequently his style to be compellingly purified, and following: ¨Laberinto de pasiones¨. Developing his own trademaks , as he often uses symbolism and metaphorical techniques to portray circular story lines. In in his later films Almodóvar directs throughout with splendid zip and he usually portrays strong female characters and transsexuals . In 1987, he and his brother Agustín Almodóvar established their own production company: El Deseo, S. A. The "Almodóvar phenomenon" has reached all over the world, making his films very popular in many countries. Pedro subsequently made successes such as: ¨Labyrinth of passions¨, ¨Law of desire¨, ¨Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown¨ , ¨Bad education¨, ¨All about my mother¨, ¨Talk to her¨, ¨Broken embraces¨ , ¨The Skin I Live In¨, ¨I'm So Excited¨, ¨Julieta¨, ¨Dolor y Gloria¨ and many others¨. ¨Dark Habits¨ (Entre tinieblas, 1983) rating: 6/10. Only for completists of Almodovar's fruitful career.