The Flower of My Secret

"Every woman has a secret..."

1995 1h 46m ES

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 270

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Middle-aged romance author Leo writes under a pseudonym, since she despises her own work. At home, her husband, who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. As she reevaluates her life and writing, Leo is led to an unexpected relationship with Ángel, a sensitive newspaper editor.

“Every woman has a secret...”

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Cast

Marisa Paredes
Leo Macías
Juan Echanove
Ángel
Carme Elias
Betty
Rossy de Palma
Rosa
Chus Lampreave
Madre de Leo
Kiti Mánver
Manuela
Joaquín Cortés
Antonio
Manuela Vargas
Blanca

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Writers: Pedro Almodóvar
Languages: French, Spanish
Countries: France, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, shot by Affonso Beato. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alberto Iglesias. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor José Salcedo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pedro Almodóvar directs. Affonso Beato behind the camera. Alberto Iglesias scores. José Salcedo cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in France, Spain. Dialogue in French, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.
331 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Spanish.
5International production across 2 countries: France, Spain.
6Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, shot by Affonso Beato. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Alberto Iglesias. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor José Salcedo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Marisa Paredes and Juan Echanove and Carme Elias carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Every woman has a secret...".
11IMDB entry: tt0113083 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "spain", "madrid, spain", "parent child relationship", "suicide attempt".

The technical file

Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Original score: Alberto Iglesias
Editing: José Salcedo
Production design: Esther García
Makeup / hair: Juan Pedro Hernández
Sound: Bernardo Menz
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,500,000
Box office: $19,000,000
Return: 422% of budget
Original language: ES
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Flower of My Secret (1995)

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Pedro Almodóvar

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What people are saying

badelf2022-11-07
★ 6/10
An early Almodóvar that is more like a novel from Amanda Gris, the protagonist of the movie. Not brilliant, but a respectable romantic comedy.
CinemaSerf2024-04-07
★ 7/10
Though I found there to be just a bit too much frenetic dialogue, this is still quite a funny evaluation of a failing relationship. It's "Leo" (Marisa Paredes) who has just gone off the boil a bit for her soldier husband "Paco" (Imanol Aris) whose career takes him from war zone to war zone with little time for her. What now ensues is a gradual character evolution for this author of romantic fiction who is conflicted by her affection, to an extent, for "Paco" whilst realising that that way madness lies and a new life is imperative. Now the thrust of the story is hardly innovative. She has a few character flaws of her own - she does like a bottle or two and to be fair to him, it's not like he has just taken up the military responsibilities he has always had. She also has a mother (Manuela Vargas) who might wear down the best of us, and after a while we begin to need more sustained comedy to help us escape the increasing melodrama. Usually Almodovar is better at providing that, but here - well not quite so much. That said, though, this features an engaging effort from an on-form and lively Paredes and her gay friend "Angel" (Juan Echanove) provides an effective foil now and again as this meanders, entertainingly enough, through the women's life of longing, passion and frustration. This is not a film I reckon I will recall for long, but it's a decent enough watch while it's on.