Broken Embraces

2009 • 2h 7m •

Drama Romance Thriller

MOVIEVIBE Rating

★ 7.2/10

735 reviews

Your Rating

Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.

"Passion, obsession, wealth, jealousy, family, guilt, and creativity."

Top Billed Cast

Penélope Cruz

Lena

Lluís Homar

Mateo Blanco / Harry Caine

Blanca Portillo

Judit García

José Luis Gómez

Ernesto Martel

Rubén Ochandiano

Ray X

Tamar Novas

Diego

Ángela Molina

Lena's Mother

Chus Lampreave

Concierge

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

B badelf Verified TMDB Critic

2025-05-03

Broken Embraces: Almodóvar's Hitchcockian Love Letter to Cinema

In "Broken Embraces," Pedro Almodóvar doesn't so much break new ground as he refines the soil he has long cultivated. Following masterworks like "Talk to Her" and "Volver," this film represents not a revolution but an elegant culmination of the Spanish auteur's preoccupations, filtered through a distinctly Hitchcockian lens.

The film unfolds as a complex origami of narrative, with time folding back upon itself to reveal the tragic love story between filmmaker Mateo Blanco and his muse Lena. Here, Almodóvar pays homage to ...