Doloy y Gloria: 2019 is Almodóvar's

Dolor y gloria (2019) , written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, is a Spanish drama starring Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mello; Penélope Cruz is part of the ensemble as well.

The Plot:  Salvador Mello, Almodóvar's alter ego, is a movie director in decline because of mysterious health problems. Thanks to a former actor, Alberto Crespo, the director discovers the great power of heroin as a pain killer and hallucinogenic. The drugs are an expedient to start a flashback throughout Mello's life, passing by his childhood in Paterna (a Spanish town where he moved with his family) to his adulthood in the roaring Madrid of the 80s. The red line of this story is re-discovery the reasons of the artists motivation, and to do so, Mello has to face a great number of emotions and memories from the past.

Comment: 

• Antonio Banderas is one of the most appreciated actors in the whole history of the Spanish cinema. In this movie, he confirms his super-powers - he has won the Palm D'Or at Cannes- as he is presenting Mello as the clear alter-ego of the living legend Almodóvar. Perfectly in the character, even with an identical haircut. 
• Almodovar has not only written and directed this movie, he has also contributed to the set up of some scene using personal items. Dolor y Gloria closes a trilogy started in 1987 with La Ley del deseo. 
• The importance of the figure of the mother to understand Mello's personality and scars in life. Penelope Cruz is superbe in playing the role of the young mother, inspired to Sophia Loren. 
• I enjoyed the game of mirrors between Almodovar- Mello and Crespo. 

Ciak Movie Rating: 5/5- ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF 2019.