Pedro Almodóvar: 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

Spanish screenwriter and filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s sensual, colorful, and dramatic storytelling originates in 1980 when he released his first feature Pepi, Luci, Bom. Almodóvar’s multigenerational films involve LGBTQ+ characters, explorations of desire, and the reexamination of taboos.

Two of Almodóvar’s frequent collaborators, actors Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, brought his name to wider audiences as their careers blossomed. Over 40 years and 20 feature films later, Almodóvar’s output remains consistently breathtaking and unique. This list pays tribute to Almodóvar’s 10 best films according to Rotten Tomatoes.

10 The Flower Of My Secret (1995) – 83%

Almodóvar frequently makes films focused on writers, artists, and directors. The Flowers of My Secret tells the story of a romance writer named Leo who struggles to maintain healthy relationships in her private life.

The film’s narrative blurs the line between fiction and fact. Leo’s estranged husband volunteers in Eastern Europe in order to get away from their toxic dynamic while she tries to come to terms with her past, her present, and her future.

9 Julieta (2016) – 84%

This 20th feature film from Almodóvar is a decades-spanning story about the title character. Played by two actors, Julieta’s life is examined from different angles and different times in her life. Almodóvar used short stories from award-winning writer Alice Munro to develop his plot.

Replete with colorful, bright scenery and dramatic twists, Julieta is a representative Almodóvar film.

8 Bad Education (2004) – 88%

Mexican actor Gael García Bernal stars in this subversive film about the lives of two men who first met at a Catholic boarding school in the 60s. Bernal plays Juan, who changes his name to Ángel as an adult. He reconnects with his former classmate and lover Enrique. The two work together to make a film about their experiences, a film focused on a predatory priest named Father Manolo.

Bad Education is a complicated, multilayered tale. There’s little distinction between the cinematic world developed by Ángel and Enrique, the cinematic world established by Almodóvar, and the various unique threads maintained by other characters.

7 Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1988) – 90%

This tour-de-force features many of Almodóvar’s signature filmmaking elements: an ensemble cast, lustful plots, bright color schemes, and hilarious circumstances. While it stars a young Antonio Banderas, the true hero of this film is Carmen Maura, who plays a heartbroken mistress named Pepa.

An explosive situation comedy, Women on the Verge highlights the various ways females juggle desire, politics, family, and traditions. Full of theatrics and artifice, anyone who likes John Waters will love this movie.

6 Volver (2006) – 91%

Almodóvar’s film about female power and resilience is a delicate, interlacing tale of three generations of Spanish women securing their survival in a male-dominated world. Penelope Cruz plays Raimunda, mother to a 14-year-old, while Carmen Maura plays Raimunda’s mother Irene.

Volver jumps through time and cities in order, even employing magical realism in order to bring this remarkable tale to life. Cruz gives a stellar performance, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

5 Talk To Her (2002) – 92%

An intimate and painful film, Talk To Her won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2003. Another layered drama, it tells the story of two men who form a bond under unique circumstances: they are both in love with comatose women.

The characters involved in this plot bring disparate creative endeavors together through their background stories. From matadors to dancers, the movie revels in motion, beauty, and spectacle. It also digs into toxic masculinity, voyeurism, and the sexual objectification of women.

4 Matador (1986) – 92%

One of Almodóvar’s less subtle features about desire, Matador blurs the distinction between violence and sex. The results are engrossing. The movie centers around a former bullfighter, one of his students, and two of his female lovers. It stars Antonio Banderas, Assumpta Serna, and Nacho Martínez.

Common themes in Almodóvar’s oeuvre are present here: problematic masculinity, jealousy, passion, and stifled creativity. All of these concepts come together at the film’s end in an explosive, visually powerful, and unforgettable way.

3 Pain And Glory (2019) – 97%

Almodóvar’s latest work, a long-awaited reunion with Antonio Banderas, is the story of a once-famous film director in decline both mentally and physically. Banderas plays Salvador Mallo, and the movie provides a sweeping examination of his personal and professional lives.

Through flashbacks, real-time events, and distorted memories, Mallo’s life is put on full display. The movie delves into common Almodóvar topics as Mallo wrestles with his mortality.

2 All About My Mother (1999) – 98%

Superimposed and extravagant, Almodóvar’s gorgeous film is itself an experiment in storytelling. After Manuela loses her son, Esteban, in an accident, she searches for Esteban’s other parent, a transgendered woman named Lola. Along the way, Manuela reconnects with old friends and makes new ones. Penelope Cruz plays a pregnant nun named Rosa.

In addition to themes of family, All About My Mother focuses on embodiment, performance, and self-love. The movie still holds the record for the most awards and honors given to any Spanish film.

1 Law Of Desire (1987) – 100%

Law of Desire is one of the most important films to ever come out of Spain. As the country reeled from decades of fascistic rule under Francisco Franco, the ’80s gave rise to a cultural revival in the country, one fueled by a toward democracy. When Almodóvar released this film about a queer love triangle between three men, it generated the largest box office sales in Spain for all of 1987, a sign of just how far Spain moved toward LGBTQ+ acceptance.

Eusebio Poncela plays a gay filmmaker and theatre director named Pablo who is pursued by a younger man named Antonio. Antonio, played by Antonio Banderas, becomes obsessed with Pablo and ingratiates himself in every aspect of the man’s life. Carmen Maura plays Pablo’s transgender sister, another milestone in Spanish cinema.

About The Author