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Excellent movie that won't fare too well in the red states... I can take or leave most early Almodóvar films, Atame, Qué he hecho yo..., Mujeres al borde..., etc. but since Carne Trémula (Live Flesh, 1997), I've enjoyed every one. His films during the eighties and early nineties were energetic diatribes rallying against Franco's repression, filling the screen with gaudy images of debauchery and violence designed to keep el Generalisimo revolving in his ornate tomb. In his most recent films the traditional leitmotifs of repression, sexuality, violence and revenge continue, but the desire to offend with graphic, almost cartoon, imagery has given way to a new-found subtlety in how societal taboos are confronted. And sometimes this subtlety can be even more powerful. In Bad Education Almodóvar tackles paedophile priests and the tragic effects on one boy in particular. It's hard to describe the non-linear plot which has you trying to work out exactly what's real, what's fiction, and who's who, without giving too much away. Half the fun of the film is piecing the parts together. But it's gratifying to know that by the final scene it all gels together perfectly. Gael Garcia Bernal is the centerpiece here and he turns in astounding performances playing several characters including Sara Montiel impersonator, Zahara, and abuse survivor Ignacio (or is he?...). He's involved in pretty much every homoerotic scene in the film, which may or may not be a selling point. I don't think I could watch the Motorcycle Diaries in the same way again, having now seen Che Guevara in drag fellating a passed-out drunk in a motel. Although abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church's finest isn't new cinematic territory, Almodóvar's direction and ability to evince career-making performances from his cast lifts this high above the norm. All non-homophobic lovers of dark tales of obsession, revenge and mystery will enjoy this film.