With Valentine’s Day here and flowers being bought by nervous boyfriends in droves, romance movies shall rule this weekend. Not surprisingly, the university has several different romance films showing on campus that will supply all students with their saccharine fix.
In order to make sure the lines you’ll be feeding your valentine won’t be as graceful as the students slipping on the ice, it’s important to refer to romance films for the best tidbits. To impress your loved one even more, Spanish films seem to be the best at supplying the lines while letting you roll that double “r” — girls seem to love that.
The International Film of the week, “The Flower of My Secret,” is from well-known Spanish director and Academy Award nominee Pedro Almodóvar (“Talk to Her”).
Leo (Marisa Paredes, “Talk To Her”) is a well-known author who is stuck between a rock and a bottle of anything. With the love of her life on constant duty in Bosnia, Leo’s heart is in a constant breaking state that is now showing in her work.
This wouldn’t be a problem, except that she is well-known for writing romance novels, and her works now include the frequent usage of pain and suffering. Now her publisher is threatening to sue for breach of contract, which could end up revealing Leo’s true identity to the world.
There are elements in this movie that make you wonder if you’re simply watching the Spanish version of the Lifetime Channel, which hurts the film. Almodóvar has a difficult time generating any sympathy for Leo.
Most of the time she is acting so unnaturally that he intends to portray her as a hysterical drunk. While you can understand some of the pain she is going through, most of the time it seems like either Leo is neurotic or Paredes was simply into overacting.
Leo, however, doesn’t make this film; rather it’s the strong supporting cast that makes it intriguing. The mother and sister of Leo are constantly bickering with each other, so much so that it reminds you of a family holiday. The mother’s stories about the village provide insight into the protagonist’s past and serve as some rationalization for her irrational behavior.
The real strength of the film is Ángel (Juan Echanove, “Don’t Tempt Me”), the editor of the newspaper and possible love interest. His screen time is minimal, but the emotion portrayed through his voice seems more genuine than the entire film.
Speaking at the film’s finale, Angel’s sadness becomes your own as you see the paunchy man speaking nothing but from the heart. The words he spouts are something to admire, and more notably to write down to say to your loved one.
To see if love can transcend language barriers, checking out “The Flower of My Secret” is a must over the weekend. While the main character doesn’t prove the worth of this film, the supporting cast keeps it enjoyable and afloat.
“The Flower of My Secret” is playing at 2 p.m. Sunday in Room 109 of Union South.
