The FLower of My Secret (1995)

What a pleasant find!  The new film from director Pedro Alomdovar 
(WOMAN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN) is a very engaging 
exploration of "middle age" and the issues therein.  The story 
centers on Leo (Marisa Paredes), a forty-something romance novel 
writer who is coming to grips with changes in herself, her art, and 
her marriage.  (Other plot points involve a flamingo-dancing 
housekeeper and Leo's half-blind, half-crazy mother.)  Though I 
didn't feel a magical pull toward the material as others have, I 
was very impressed by the tone.  THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET never 
strays too far into farce or forced sentimentality; the director 
keeps everything "just right."  In Spanish with fast-moving 
subtitles.  (Rated "R"/100 min.)

Grade: A-

Copyright 1996 by Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies