Of all the great scenes in this Almodovar masterpiece, I would also pick Esteban's death scene. In terms of visual language alone, it exemplifies some of Almodovar's strongest work. From the giant poster of Huma, to Manuela's reaction as Esteban gets hit, to Esteban's last moments of sight ... these powerful images leave a strong impression on the tragedy of this event. Some people already mentioned the editing -- the asynchronous sound -- which may seem off-putting at first, but really does work to emphasize her cry. Oh, that cry! It's as if she's channeling the pain of all women or of all of Spain. I remember when I first watched this movie, and hearing her cry over her son's body. It's one of the only moments when I've realized, while watching a new movie, that I was watching one of the great moments in cinema history. And seeing the movie for the second time, this same moment made me sure that All About My Mother is indeed a classic, in the greatest sense of the word. I usually don't agree with movies being considered classics until many years after their release, but I am confident that this movie will live up to the classfication.
By the way, which John Cassavetes film does this scene borrow from?
reply
share