La Flor de mi secreto = The Flower of my secret

Renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodovar returns to the comedy of his earlier works in this humorous yet moving film about a woman in the throes of a creative and emotional crisis. Years of writing bestselling romantic fiction under the pseudonym Amanda Gris have started to take their toll on Leo, who yearns to express herself through a blacker style of writing. Bound by her contract, and immersed in denial over the disintegration of her marriage to Paco, she spirals dangerously toward a total breakdown. Her only salvation appears in the form of Angel, who offers her a job as a critic for a national arts supplement. Leo’s first assignment - to write a critique of her alter ego, Amanda Gris - sets in motion a chain of events which force her to face reality, and sever ties with the fears of the past. A sentimental melodrama, more restrained in tone than the excesses of ‘Kika’ and ‘High Heels’, ‘The Flower of my Secret’ establishes Almodovar as a director sensitive towards female concerns of a romantic and personal nature.

Credits: Producer, Esther Garcia ; director, writer, Pedro Almodovar ; photography, Affonso Beato ; music, Alberto Iglesias ; editing, Jose Salcedo.
Cast: Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove, Imanol Arias, Carmen Elias, Rossy de Palma, Chus Lampreave.