Review

After a series of relatively lighthearted movies about women, Almodóvar dives deeply and darkly into men's passions in this moving masterwork. Tabloid reporter Marco (Grandinetti) is going after a sordid story about an unlucky-in-love bullfighter (Flores), but just as he falls for her, she's gored and finds herself in a coma. The hospital's adjoining room houses a gorgeous dancer (Watling), comatose for years, who's cared for by obsessive nurse Benigno (Camara). The two men share an unrequited love for their unconscious women, with Benigno's expressions of amor being uncomfortably disturbing and, in Almodóvar's cunning way, blackly comic. His ravishing visual flair continues unabated, especially in the recurring dancing scenes that break up the melodrama, and an unforgettable silent-film fantasy about a little lover willing to go to uncharted depths to please his woman. What's ultimately stunning is the empathy that Almodóvar conveys for such tragically flawed, easily demonized characters. Pushing the envelope while invoking compassion -- it's a triumph that only Almodóvar could achieve. (Spanish with English subtitles)