Pepi, Luci, Bom

Pedro Almodovar's first film. Created in 1980. This was the birth of a great director. Sadly, it was a pretty sloppy birth. The elements of Pepi, Luci, Bom are all familiar elements of later Almodovar film: strong women, high drama, and queer culture. All three of these factor pretty heavily in Almodovar's first feature.

It is safe to say this film is closer to John Waters' early work than it is to Almodovar's later work. Much of this has to do with budget. The film snaps, the scenes pop, and the dialogue goes in and out. The camera work is pretty basic. These are all elements of a low budget film. But, the content also makes this film similar to Waters' films. There are loud mouthed lesbians into S&M, a cop on a raping streak, a bearded woman, a cock size contest, and (most surprising) a golden shower scene during a knitting lesson.

All of this is pretty campy and not too vulgar. Almodovar is going more for laughs and not at all for drama. In fact, it is impossible to make emotion out of this film. It feels more like skits and ideas acted out and then pasted together to create a feature length.

I enjoyed watching the film. It was nice to see where Almodovar started. To recognize how far he really has come in his film making, plotting, and demands of his actresses. Also, it was lovely to see Carmen Maura and Almodovar's long lasting relationship begin with this film.

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