Pedrol Almodovar Reveals 'Silencio' as Next Film

"It’s a return to the cinema of women, of great female protagonists, and it’s a hard-hitting drama, which excites me."

That sounds like a far cry from Pedro Almodovar's last film, the silly, hyper-sexual airline comedy I'm So Excited, which came and went without the Oscar-winning director's usual fanfare. But what it also sounds like is a return to form for Almodovar, who told the Financial Times that his new film will be titled Silencio. Aside from the above description, he went on to reveal the reason behind the title...

"It’s called 'Silencio' because that’s the principal element that drives the worst things that happen to the main female protagonist."

Almodovar has been getting a little more experimental of late, going back to the creepy (and amazing) The Skin I Live In, but Silencio sounds like the kind of drama that we are accustomed to from him. No word on a cast or a start date, however the script is completed which means it could be rolling soon. Hopefully he'll find a spot for Penelope Cruz who always does her best work in his films.  [THR]

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Pedro Almodovar to direct comedy, 'The Brief Lovers'

Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has gone to some pretty dark places with his last few movies. While there's always some levity in each and every film he makes, last year's The Skin I Live In was a twisted, psycho-sexual thriller that touched on some uncomfortable ideas. It also happened to be the best thing he's done in a long time, which is saying something because even his least successful stuff(like Bad Education) are interesting in their own right. But if his brother and producer, Augustin Almodovar, is correct then Pedro is about to jump into the world of comedy for the first time in years.

Talking to a Spanish radio station, Augustin revealed that Pedro's next film will be The Brief Lovers...

Almodovar: “It is a witty comedy, with very spicy dialogues and with a lot of fun and transgression.”

If I know Almodovar, it won't be as simple as that, and it probably won't be a straight up laugher. In other good news, it appears that Javier Camara, who starred in Almodovar's poetic 2002 film, Talk To Her, is circling the lead.  Production could begin this summer, meaning that this is almost certainly Almodovar's next project, even though he's had a couple of films lined up previously, including one that would be an English language adaptation of an Alice Munro novel.  Almodovar is currently serving as producer on Lee Daniels's adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel, The Paperboy. [Screen Daily]

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Teaser Trailer: The Skin I Live In, directed by Pedro Almodovar

Has it been two years already since Almodovar's Broken Embraces? Wow, time flies. The Spanish auteur, who has spent the bulk of his career paying loving tribute to the beauty of women in a variety of different films is prepping his latest, The Skin I Live In, about a surgeon who specializes in the manipulation of their looks. Antonio Banderas, once a Almodovar regular but the two haven't worked together since 1990, stars as the doctor who goes to extreme lengths to create a skin to help save his wife's life. 

The story is based on Thierry Jonque's book, Tarantula, but judging by this brief teaser trailer the plot appears to have been altered somewhat. I'll admit, I had to watch this clip a few times in order to figure out how I felt about it. I know some others are calling it a creepy horror, but to me the whole thing looks a little campy. Or more accurately, it looks like a lot of Almodovar's films, heavily influenced by Spanish telenovellas. Very melodramatic, with a touch of overacting. That's what I see far more than any creep factor.  Still, count me in for this one. Almodovar very rarely disappoints. Check out the teaser trailer below...




The Skin I Live In will be premiering at Cannes, but is already set for a release sometime in November.

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