I found lots of pain and not much glory in this semi-autobiographical film from Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish director of films dating back to the 1970s. This one seems very connected to the director, though I do not know enough about him to know how much the suffering of filmmaker Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas) truly reflects that of his writer-director.

Pedro Almodóvar’s film studies filmmaker Mallo, who in his older years is a physical wreck and unable to work, Instead, he becomes a heroin addict, spending long hours recalling his pitiful childhood. Ironically, perhaps, the childhood scenes are fascinating, almost magical in some ways. Salvador’s childhood is poor but adventuresome, while his adulthood has become cloistered and empty. The film asks if he can regain his footing and find the strength to truly live again.

There is a great deal to chew on in this episodic examination of life, loss and regret. I don’t like how episodic it is; one important character enters early, disrupts Salvador’s monastic existence, hooks him on heroin, has a terrific stage monologue and then disappears completely. The casual drug use is unsettling and other aspects of life are glossed over or ridiculed. And yet the spirit of survival pulses through the narrative, art is appreciated above just about anything else, and characters act in realistic, convincing ways.

Almodóvar’s film goes on and on, and some of the medical stuff is not very pleasant, yet there is plenty of merit to enjoy and consider. Like most of his other films, Pain and Glory will stay with the viewer long afterward, as we think about Salvador’s mother (the luminous Penélope Cruz) and whether Salvador found enough inspiration to keep going, as an artist, a friend and an older human being. ☆ ☆ 1/2. 17 November 2019.