Broken Embraces

"Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity."

2009 2h 7m ES

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 740

DramaRomanceThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.

“Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity.”

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Cast

Penélope Cruz
Lena
Lluís Homar
Mateo Blanco / Harry Caine
Blanca Portillo
Judit García
José Luis Gómez
Ernesto Martel
Rubén Ochandiano
Ray X
Tamar Novas
Diego
Ángela Molina
Lena's Mother
Chus Lampreave
Concierge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Writers: Pedro Almodóvar, Pablo Buratti
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: 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

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 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#04

5 / 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#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Penélope Cruz and Lluís Homar and Blanca Portillo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0913425 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pedro Almodóvar directs. Rodrigo Prieto behind the camera. Alberto Iglesias scores. José Salcedo cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Spain. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, shot by Rodrigo Prieto. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alberto Iglesias. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor José Salcedo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Penélope Cruz and Lluís Homar and Blanca Portillo carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity.".
8IMDB entry: tt0913425 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
Original score: Alberto Iglesias
Editing: José Salcedo
Production design: Antxón Gómez
Costume design: Sonia Grande
Makeup / hair: Massimo Gattabrusi
Sound: Marc Orts
Stunt coordinator: Jordi Casares
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Status: Released
Budget: $18,000,000
Box office: $30,991,660
Return: 172% of budget
Original language: ES
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Broken Embraces (2009)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Composer

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Pedro Almodóvar

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2025-05-03
★ 7/10
Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema In "Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar doesn't so much break new ground as he refines the soil he has long cultivated. Following masterworks like "Talk to Her" and "Volver," this film represents not a revolution but an elegant culmination of the Spanish auteur's preoccupations, filtered through a distinctly Hitchcockian lens. The film unfolds as a complex origami of narrative, with time folding back upon itself to reveal the tragic love story between filmmaker Mateo Blanco and his muse Lena. Here, Almodóvar pays homage to Hitchcock's fascination with voyeurism, doomed romance, and the thin line between creation and destruction. The film's noir elements – jealousy, revenge, hidden identities – feel like deliberate nods to the Master of Suspense, yet remain unmistakably Almodóvarian in their execution. At the center of this kaleidoscopic narrative stands Penélope Cruz, delivering a performance of remarkable complexity. As Lena, she exists simultaneously as object and subject, victim and agent of her own destiny. Cruz accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of projecting emotional transparency while maintaining an enigmatic core – we feel we know Lena intimately yet remain haunted by her fundamental unknowability. It's a testament to Cruz's evolution as an actress under Almodóvar's guidance. The meta-cinematic aspects of "Broken Embraces" – the film-within-a-film, the exploration of directorial vision (and its literal loss), the power dynamics of the creative process – create a hall of mirrors where art and life endlessly reflect one another. Almodóvar seems to be commenting on his own relationship with cinema, suggesting that creation itself is a form of obsessive love. Visually, the film showcases Almodóvar's mastery of color symbolism and compositional precision. Each frame feels deliberately constructed, with his signature vibrant palette serving narrative purpose rather than mere aesthetic pleasure. The contrast between the warm, sensual tones of the love affair and the cooler, more austere palette of the aftermath tells its own emotional story. "Broken Embraces" may not represent a dramatic leap forward in Almodóvar's filmography, but it demonstrates something equally valuable: a master filmmaker confidently synthesizing his influences and obsessions into a work of surprising emotional resonance. Like Hitchcock's later films, it feels like the work of an artist less interested in shocking his audience than in revealing the profound mysteries that have always driven his creative vision.

Production companies