rubenm

Seeing an Almodovar movie in English is a bit weird. This is such a quintessential Spanish director, that the lack of Spanish (apart from one short sentence) seems to take away an essential element from the movie. But even in English, Almodovar stays Almodovar, just like Woody Allen stayed Woody Allen in his French film.

I think this is one of the best movies he has made. It's beautiful, it's touching, it's meaningful. Not many films combine those three qualities. It seems as if with every new movie he directs, he gets closer to the purest film making. In this case, it's a story about two friends who both have to come to grips with death. Martha is dying of cancer and wants euthanasia, Ingrid is an old friend who is afraid of death but nevertheless agrees to accompany Martha in her last days.

This sounds as if the film is very depressing. Let me assure you: it is not. Far from it. There are far more happy moments than sad ones. Even Martha embraces life in her last moments, because she wants to spend them in a stunningly luxurious villa in the woods.

Almodovar once again creates a world of beauty, full of colour and aesthetics. His sets are, as usual, carefully designed. But this is also a very moving film, showing how valuable good friendships can be and how, even in death, dignity and respect are essential values.

Almodovar includes many references in his film. Martha and Ingrid watch movies by Buster Keaton and John Huston, and they go to a cinema where a Rosselini movie is playing. But the most obvious influence, I think, is Ingmar Bergman. Not only is the story reminiscent of Bergman's Persona, but the whole movie has a Bergman-esque feeling. Just like many Bergman movies, it relies heavily on dialogue, tackles themes like death and religion, and has a limited number of characters. The difference: Almodovar adds some Spanish warmth and colour.

In 'Maldoror', director Fabrice du Welz tackles one of Belgium's darkest pages in recent history. The abduction and death of several teenage girls by Marc Dutroux caused a national trauma in 1996. The fact that local police forces and criminal investigators hardly cooperated during the investigation, may have cost the girls their lives. This failure led to a thorough reorganisation of law enforcement.

The movie tells the story from the viewpoint of a police officer, Paul Charlier, who searched the cellar where the girls were hidden. He heard them whisper, but couldn't find them because of the limited search warrant. These events happened in reality, but Du Welz mixes facts and fiction in his film. He portrays the police officer as a typical streetwise cop, who prefers his gut feelings over rules and procedures. Charlier knows he is right, but his superiors have other priorities. Ultimately, his perseverance and lack of respect for authorities lead to his downfall, the end of his marriage, but also to his ultimate moral victory.

The movie is at the same time an exciting police thriller and a character study of Charlier. His strong will is the result from his upbringing: his parents were far from law-abiding. He is determined to be 'on the right side', but for him hunting down criminals is what counts. If rules and regulations stand in the way, he ignores them.

Visually, the film is a joy to watch. The desolate industrial wasteland of Charleroi, where the abductions took place, is used to the maximum. Also, the hopelesness of the city, where unlawful activities seem to thrive, adds to the gloomy atmosphere.

The film documents an important part of Belgian history, and for those who followed the events at the time, it is an interesting interpretation. But some events are clearly fictional. In order to make an exciting police thriller with political elements, the movie abandoned historical accuracy.