Julieta is beautiful: in portrayal, in character and in viewing. By no means is her life plain sailing, fraught with guilt, anguish, longing and loss – all favourites of Almodóvar’s to explore.
After the campy, male-centric nonsense of I’m So Excited, you’ll be glad to know this is Almodóvar back at his best, allowing leading women to tell emotionally intelligent stories with men of less importance. This is pure heartache territory, but perhaps weirdly a joy to watch.
The eponymous Julieta is portrayed in her younger years by possibly the most gorgeous woman I have ever clapped eyes on, Adriana Ugarte – there’s a distinct whiff of the Alicia Vikander about her. In her stylish older years, Emma Suárez perfectly conveys the emotional ruin that comes with years of loss and guilt, with a reverent beauty. The story folds out through the writing of a letter. After her daughter Antía disappeared 12 years ago, a chance encounter with her childhood friend Bea reminds Julieta of the pain she has locked away. In order to assuage this, she writes her daughter a letter to explain.
We’re introduced to younger Julieta as a classics teacher in the 80s, complete with short spiky blond hair and a penchant for power dressing. She meets fisherman Xoan on a train, who quite frankly, is an absolute ride and I don’t blame her for jumping on him there and then. Here, she has her first run-in with guilt, that she could have prevented the suicide of an old man, and that she sleeps with Xoan, whose wife is in a coma.
She goes on to make a life with Xoan and they have a daughter together. Struck again by tragedy and guilt (this poor woman!), she moves back to Madrid, Antía in tow, and suffers a complete mental breakdown. Supported by her daughter, the transition from younger to older Julieta is cleverly revealed as her daughter dries her hair with a towel, covering her face, to then reveal an older mother. It’s a striking scene, the physical representation of Julieta changing from mid-crisis, to post crisis.
Almodóvar’s bold use of colour and music heightens this film from difficult to captivating. Many directors and cinematographers try use of bold colour (Let’s forget Lindsay Lohan’s I Know Who Killed Me), but none so deftly and exquisitely as him. He really has the entire package – beautiful, emotional, drama, in a visually and aurally stunning setting.
• Julieta is set for release in cinemas nationwide on 26th August.
