Bad Education (2004)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I had a very faint idea of the premise of Bad Education. I had read the IMDB plot summary that said it was about the impact of sexual abuse on the lives of two kids. Well..... It is technically kind of true but in no way a true representation of what's in store for you.As soon as you start getting the hang of things, the movie pulls the rug from under you. It suddenly switches genre. But it's not jarring. Rather everything flows organically from the characters. I think that's the best thing about this movie. There is ingenuity in the way the story is presented. There are plenty surprises here and it's better to find out for yourself.In spite of all this it is unmistakably a Pedro Almodóvar movie. If you have seen his movies you know the way his characters are, the way his characters talk and of course sex. There is a lot of sex in this one. And of course there is Javier Cámara. Speaking of actors, Gael García Bernal gives a great performance with a role that is challenging and difficult. It's not as easy as he makes it look.Definitely give this one a go.

Bad Education is an interesting and dark crime film by Pedro Almodovar. This film has many layers and various dimensions of a story; stories of obsession, role-playing, and revenge. Almodovar's mis-en-scene was the excellent use of bright colors which helped the scenes pop from the screen. These colors were used as a vibrant explosion that helped in the dramatic effect of the stories this film presented. He also used excellent cinematography to lead his audience into this mysterious, bizarre world where graphic simulation of sexual acts was used. When viewing this film, the audience will notice that it is impossible not to get lost in the story played by the characters, because Almodovar augments the width of the image to where the audience will not notice the dimensions of fiction and reality.As a viewer of this film, I began to notice several themes. The first theme I noticed was the theme of indifferent attitudes toward women because there were no significant women's parts or roles played in this film, besides the role played in drag. Another theme is that of false identity - the movie's present tense is the 1980s, where a film director Enrique is searching desperately for a new project, hoping to find it by clipping through newspapers, when a young actor comes into his office with a story he's written. The young actor claims to be Ignacio, the boy Enrique fell in love with while they were in a Roman Catholic boarding school together. Although Enrique wanted to believe it to be true, he knew that something was not right. Enrique would eventually find out that Ignacio was not who he thought he was but played with the thought anyway; the theme of falling in love was also prominent in this film as it was shown - the Priest falls in love with Ignacio and the love between two young boys. In the end, as a reviewer, I enjoyed all the different art forms that this film presented. The art of mis-en-scene, the art of realism versus fictional and the art of love.

As a relatively impartial observer (not homophobic, not homosexual), I found this to be an outstandingly dull film. In truth, the acting isn't bad and the plot line is cleverly constructed but what is it about and do we really care? There's a vague reference to the pederasts of the Catholic Church in there which might have been interesting if fully explored but it says nothing about the relationship at all and simply focuses on a theme of misplaced love. It's not predictable either as the plot is nicely constructed around a film that has been inspired by the events in the pasts of the protagonists. Yet it says nothing, does nothing and continues at a leaden pace, neither intriguing nor entertaining. Much as I love my gay friends, it reflected what is for me at least the vacuity of the homosexual lifestyle...surely it can only be appreciated by gay people?!?!

La Mala Educación is my favorite film by Pedro Almodóvar and one of the best films I've seen.What impressed me the most was the truly brilliant acting by Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez and Lluis Homar (in a short but fantastic role).Gael Garcia Bernal plays the same character three different ways throughout the film, each way perfectly. He's an actor that can give a powerful, humorous and very natural performance.Fele Martinez is a great Spanish actor that can also give very powerful and emotional performances (see him in Los Amantes del Circulo Polar) and he gives my favorite performance in this film. His character is defined by his mannerisms and facial expressions. The physical language is top-notch. A very subtle performance that I consider amazing and gets my personal win for Best Supporting Actor of 2004.Lluis Homar plays a small role, but one of the best acted ones I've seen. His performance is both raw and emotional. A character that perhaps wouldn't have been as memorable if played by someone else.The script is very well written. A very original story that deals with many controversial subjects, yet doesn't depend on them to capture your attention. It's the characters who really make this movie so great. Real characters displaying real emotions and of course played perfectly by the actors.A very important film and an example of realistic and great acting.