Bad Education

With La Mala Educación, Pedro Almodovar brings us a erotic story about two friends reuniting after 16 years to remember their troubled past which included catholic school and sexual abuse.

But it's not so easy, as Almodovar goes into Mullholland Drive territory and merges two storylines about the same people: the actual story of the two former lovers reconnecting, and the story one of them wrote about them reconnecting but in a different way.
The stories move simultaneously to the point when it gets confused to know which story it's actually happening at some points, but the ending explains it and leaves everything connected and very satisfactory. Almodovar writing is perfect for these bizarre and rich characters.

The two friends are Fele Martinez, who's worked with Almodovar before in 2002's Talk to Her, and was also seen in last year's multiple times delayed Darkness who had a Spanish production; the other, and the lead, is the so excellent Gael Garcia Bernal who had a great 2004 with Oscar worthy performances both here and in The Motorcycle Diaries. His work here is outstanding, specially as the transvestite Zahara who is part of the story Garcia Bernal's other character, Angel, wrote for Martinez's Enrique who is a filmmaker and is currently in search of a new movie to make, and so decides to make Angel's movie called "La Visita" ("The Visit").

Yes, it is still a strong movie to watch (it's Rated NC-17 but don't worry, there is no frontal nudity), but wonderful performances, and Almodovar's complex, fantastic story, this is a movie not to miss.