This is a clever exposé of how men deal with their emotions. Marco and Benigno develop a close friendship almost despite themselves - and certainly not because they actually ought to. There is "love" that is unrequited, on-the-rebound and even violent all encompassed within this relatively concise story. Almodóvar hits the gold mine early with this and mines it wonderfully. There are some distinctive moral ambiguities in this film, and the Director makes no apology for that nor does he try to corral us into his (or any other) way of thinking - we have to make our own judgement as to how compassionate and/or forgiving we are at the end.

Now this is…really something different like the story and Benigno. I know what he did was so so wrong but I felt bad for him. Such a heartbreaking story and I love how the friendship was formed, although I really didn’t care about the writer and matador. I just couldn’t stop watching this film when I saw it on Sundance, until the ending, like the butt shakin partner dance before the end credits. It may be the music. And of course…Paz Vega’s black and white silent film, the shrinking man who went inside her…literally!