Julieta

"Pedro Almodóvar's fans and newbies alike – rejoice! With his 20th feature, the Spanish auteur is back and on superb form, with a drama that’s part character study, part classic Hitchcock mystery, and all Almodóvar. Adapted from short stories by Alice Munro, and set in Madrid, the titular Julieta (Emma Suárez) is a middle-aged mother, estranged from her daughter, Antía. So begins a sequence of flashbacks, in which we see events through the eyes of a teenage Julieta, (played by Adriana Ugarte)."

"Even when working in earnest, Almodovar can't hold back his own gaudiness, which threatens to overwhelm Julieta's emotions at all times, just as the loud paintings, posters and wallpaper frequently eclipse the foreground action."

"A sombre, ravishing study of grief, guilt and burden."

"This is not as richly compelling as other Almodóvar films, but it's a fluent and engaging work."

"Operatic, balletic, romantic, symbolic, melodramatic."

"Pedro Almodóvar's object-oriented approach ends up blocking off the deeper emotional access that Alice Munro's stories so effortlessly attain."

"[Pedro Almodovar returns] to what he does so well - creating rich and moving female-centric dramas."

"Some might even feel the whole exercise resembles a hodge-podge of tricks, tropes and name drops recycled from Almodovar's back catalogue, lacking in either freshness or passion."

"A slick, stylish melodrama with an involving story and a cracking cast. Star Adriana Ugarte is a real find."