Almodovar eventually made the film we all knew he had in him, combining the emotional drama of Flower Of My Secret with the style and pace of his comedies. Almost entirely about motherhood and women, its extremely involuted plot centres on Manuela (Roth) and her return to Barcelona (a departure for the usually Madrid-based Almodovar) after losing her son in a car accident. Weaving in and out of the film is a stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Paredes as the actress playing Blanche Dubois. Fine performances and confident direction make a thoroughly watchable film that deserved its awards at Cannes and the Oscars.

Simon Eaton