Is there any other filmmaker more suited to the melodrama than Pedro Almodóvar? Broken Embraces holds many of the themes he’s often played with, but this time through the cynicism of film noir, with time moving a blind man into stoic silence. As he remembers the doomed production and tragic love triangles he was caught in, Almodóvar reckons with the weight of the camera, of how it created and ended love through the way each lens was used, and how there’s still much left to uncover from the memories that were captured. Referencing classic titles from the film noir as well as Almodóvar’s own movies, Broken Embraces is a love letter to film itself, of the craft and obsession that couldn’t be separated from it.

Given that the film is centered around Mateo’s former lover, it won’t be a surprise that Penélope Cruz stands out in this film. Her performance, as well as the way she’s depicted, would be the one you’ll most likely remember after the film ends.