Bad Education (La Mala educación) (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A drag queen convinces a film director to shoot a film about his childhood molestation by a priest. As I'm exploring Almodovar's oeuvre, I'm seeing similar subjects. There is almost always an element of abnormal sexuality, and the several scenes of homosexual sex… More
  A drag queen convinces a film director to shoot a film about his childhood molestation by a priest. As I'm exploring Almodovar's oeuvre, I'm seeing similar subjects. There is almost always an element of abnormal sexuality, and the several scenes of homosexual sex check that box. Drag queens? Also check. But these are surface elements. The reason I think I'm not diving into Almodovar is that many of his films try to do so much at once. <i>Bad Education</i> is a love story, a noir, a political statement against the clergy's sexual misconduct, and a melodrama, and I think all the "styles" and subject matters collide. What results is such a hodgepodge that I think people are able to attach themselves to elements of the film while ignoring the whole. Overall, <i>Bad Education</I> is for Almodovar fans, and that's about it.

• Conner R

  
  An amazing mystery/revenge story. I was totally blown away with the complex nature of the film. Almodovar's style really shines in this, due to the fact that he strayed from his usual upbeat tone and really went with something dark. Gael Garcia Bernal was great and made the movie… More
  An amazing mystery/revenge story. I was totally blown away with the complex nature of the film. Almodovar's style really shines in this, due to the fact that he strayed from his usual upbeat tone and really went with something dark. Gael Garcia Bernal was great and made the movie all the more enjoyable, convincing me that his character was much less horrible than he should've been. I really appreciate the bold choices used, if only more filmmakers were this brave. The director's cut is definitely a step up in terms of what shocking content was meant to be seen, it made me fall in love with it even more.

• Randy T

  
  Murder, mayhem, transvestites and child molesting priests. I wonder where Pedro Almodóvar gets such wild ideas for his stories? Are they autobiographical? Are they plucked from Spanish tabloids? They seem to be coherent presentations of utter chaos. The man is twisted (but… More
  Murder, mayhem, transvestites and child molesting priests. I wonder where Pedro Almodóvar gets such wild ideas for his stories? Are they autobiographical? Are they plucked from Spanish tabloids? They seem to be coherent presentations of utter chaos. The man is twisted (but brilliant!).

• Lanning :

  
  So, Ssabee, I notice nothing in your comments that answers the most important question in the movie: beard or no beard? As Gael Garcia's number-one fan club president, I figured this would be the first thing you'd comment on : ) <p>There is no doubt in my mind… More
  So, Ssabee, I notice nothing in your comments that answers the most important question in the movie: beard or no beard? As Gael Garcia's number-one fan club president, I figured this would be the first thing you'd comment on : ) <p>There is no doubt in my mind that Gael Garcia is a good-looking young man, but after seeing this Almodóvar outing -- no pun intended -- I can definitely affirm that Gael Garcia is also absolutely one of the most frighteningly beautiful young women Almodovar has delivered to the screen. <p> Hey, if you're young and have all the time in the world to wade through this narrative morass, more power to you. Me, I'm way too old to care that much about something this ugly. I don't know if Almodovar's treatment of homosexuals is worse than his treatment of transvestites in this project, but I really don't care. It's beyond grotesque. <p> Miss this one if you don't have all the time in the world left to watch movies.

• Sophie B

  
  I really loved the story to this movie. It was well thought out and interesting. As well as being very funny it was also very sad and weird. Great performance from Gael Garcia Bernal.

• Lady D

  
  A bizarre tale, which was a little confusing at times, but of course all makes sense eventually. It possibly requires more than one viewing though to really put the pieces of the puzzle together correctly. Very typical in the sense of Almodovar though, to bring us an unusual… More
  A bizarre tale, which was a little confusing at times, but of course all makes sense eventually. It possibly requires more than one viewing though to really put the pieces of the puzzle together correctly. Very typical in the sense of Almodovar though, to bring us an unusual topic, which many Directors wouldn't have delved into.

• Elvira B

  
  La Mala Educacion is a fascinating, dark crime film by Pedro Almodovar, in which he once again confirms that he is the master of style, pure and simple. Everything in La Mala Educacion is stylized, even though everything and everyone is rather seedy and obscure. Almodovar makes… More
  La Mala Educacion is a fascinating, dark crime film by Pedro Almodovar, in which he once again confirms that he is the master of style, pure and simple. Everything in La Mala Educacion is stylized, even though everything and everyone is rather seedy and obscure. Almodovar makes excellent use of bright colors that pop from the screen, a Hitchcockian score, and excellent cinematography to lead his audience into this mysterious, bizarre world created by the characters. Ignacio and Enrique meet in a religious boarding school in the 1960s. One of the heads of the school, Father Manolo, "falls in love" with Ignacio and is also very much aware of the two boys' love for each other. He does his best to keep them apart. Enrique is taken out of school, and the two continue to lead separate lives until, twenty years later, Ignacio seeks out his old friend, who now owns a film studio, to show him a script he's been working on. It's the story of their lives, and the revenge they ultimately inflict on Father Manolo. Enrique is somewhat excited to have found again the first love of his life, but for some reason he isnt' very convinced. Something has changed; Ignacio seems very different. Among the many layers there is to Bad Education and the various dimensions of the story, there is an interesting dynamic between the two leads. Once they re-unite after all the years of separation, the natural thing to them appears to be starting from where they left off. So they spend time together, and even sleep together, but neither of them is very convinced. Almodovar has described them as a romantic union without attraction, two people who have sex but are not attracted to each other. They relate to the ghosts of what they once were, or what they think the other was. I loved the storyline because Almodovar incorporated the movie-in-a-movie sub-plot and it works very well. I wonder if it says something of his own opinion about filmmaking. It's impossible to get lost in the story because he augments the width of the image to mark when we are watching the movie and when we are watching what is really happening; it is obvious that his objective isn't "to blur the line between fiction and reality"... don't think you're getting Inland Empire-style or anything. Other than that, the plot is very noir, it's very classic but with certain Almodovar touches to make it even darker. The style is heavy but it doesn't choke the substance. Gael Garcia Bernal is great as Ignacio/Juan/Zahara. He plays eccentric characters, or characters with secrets, and he does it with great talent and credibility. For such a small person, he has immense screen presence and magnetism. His appearance and his attitude justify Enrique's incomprehensible desire to resume their relationship in spite of his doubt. But Fele Martinez plays a much more "ordinary" character and manages to make him much more extraordinary. I've always thought him a very versatile actor, but terribly underrated. Both actors deliver incredible performances, and they're the highlights of the film. The ending was rather abrupt for me, I think it needed a clearer closure, but the rest of the movie is a fantastic noir film in bright colors, definitely worth a watch, or several.

• Drew S

  
  Fucking excellent movie - totally unconventional on all terms, and yet still impeccably done for it. Definitely the strongest of the three Almodovars I've seen thus far, though all of them have been great. More later.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  another great film from PEDRO ALMODOVAR, one of the best directors in the business. LA MALA EDUCACION stars mexican actor GAEL GARCIA BERNAL, mexican-spanish actor Daniel Gimenez-Cacho, Fele Martinez and Javier Camara. It tells the story about two boys (ignacio and enrique) that meet… More
  another great film from PEDRO ALMODOVAR, one of the best directors in the business. LA MALA EDUCACION stars mexican actor GAEL GARCIA BERNAL, mexican-spanish actor Daniel Gimenez-Cacho, Fele Martinez and Javier Camara. It tells the story about two boys (ignacio and enrique) that meet at school and fall in love, the principal of this school, father manolo, knows about this and he also wants Ignacio. Enrique and Ignacio reunite several years later, when ignacio wants enrique to direct a film he wrote and wants to star in as Zahara, a drag queen.....gael garcia is really convincing in drag, and he gives one hell of a performance, plus he can do a really good spanish accent, great performance by daniel gimenez cacho, great writing, look, etc.

• Sarah G

  
  In the early 60s, two boys - Ignacio and Enrique - discover love, movies and fear in a Christian school. Father Manolo, the school principal and Literature teacher, both witnesses and takes part in these discoveries. The three characters come against one another twice again, in the… More
  In the early 60s, two boys - Ignacio and Enrique - discover love, movies and fear in a Christian school. Father Manolo, the school principal and Literature teacher, both witnesses and takes part in these discoveries. The three characters come against one another twice again, in the late 70s and in 1980. These meetings are set to change the life and death of some of them. <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/sportyballer7/malaeducacion.jpg" border="0"alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> This is the third Almodovar film that I've watched and now I think I need to see more of his films. There's just something spectacular about his films with the magnificant colour and direction. I will see more soon. Anyway Bad Education, perhaps not as good as <i>Talk To Her</i>, which I thought was a masterpiece and the best film that I've seen og his so far. Cinematography is excellent, the music as well (with many recalls to the Sixties songs). Actors are also very good. For Gael Garcia Bernal (we saw him recently in "Motorcycle diaries") this is another solid effort. He portrays Ignacio, he enters the Almodòvar world with all the ambiguity required. For sure I'll be checking out more of Bernal's films. Of course the film delves into the complex issue of the Roman Catholic Church and incidences of sexual abuse within them. This was delt with well and didn't totally shock me as the camera as tilted at such points. Some great opening credits as well, which introduces you to the film. Very colourful and fitted the mood within the film very well. <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/bad_education.jpg" border="0"alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> The story falters slightly in the closing stages . That's the only thing stopping it from usurping<i>Talk To Her</i>. The ending just didn't seem that shocking, which is why I've given it 4 stars. Overall a recomended film. Perhaps not a good as Talk to Her but still worth the watch. 7/10

• Megan S

  
  Pretty good movie. Lots of things going on, there's a writer and a director and there are stories and a movie and the past and the present and fact and fiction and people pretending to be other people all going on all throughout the movie until you finally find out what really… More
  Pretty good movie. Lots of things going on, there's a writer and a director and there are stories and a movie and the past and the present and fact and fiction and people pretending to be other people all going on all throughout the movie until you finally find out what really happened in the end. The ending was a bit anti-climactic though.

• Eric B

  
  Basically a soap opera with lots and lots of man-on-man love. Drag queens, a director's scripting problems, drug addiction and lecherous priests are among the prime elements, and much of the story is delivered via childhood flashbacks. Almodovar's color palette is typically… More
  Basically a soap opera with lots and lots of man-on-man love. Drag queens, a director's scripting problems, drug addiction and lecherous priests are among the prime elements, and much of the story is delivered via childhood flashbacks. Almodovar's color palette is typically vibrant, but I've enjoyed several of his other films more.

• Mike N

  
  Had a bottlenecking of relevant thought on my commute home tonight. It's funny how thoughts, in their idle conception and initial self-diagnosed insignificance, can unexpectedly resurface with all new meaning. This also happens with thoughts that I resolve to be incomplete, and… More
  Had a bottlenecking of relevant thought on my commute home tonight. It's funny how thoughts, in their idle conception and initial self-diagnosed insignificance, can unexpectedly resurface with all new meaning. This also happens with thoughts that I resolve to be incomplete, and later come to realize that they are more whole and finished than I first knew. But it was one of those fabled 'moments of clarity,' where I caught a glimpse of everything. It was illuminating. Meanwhile, songs happened. They're always happening. Lyrics came to me, and every word felt as if it applied to my thoughts. I unconsciously sang along to the lyrics I knew, while appreciating those that I knew not. The sun has been shining a lot lately. [img]http://images.art.com/images/products/large/10088000/10088827.jpg[/img] I'm buying this soon.

• Walter M

  
  [color=magenta] Filmmakers sometimes imagine critics are predisposed against their movies.(For example, Oliver Stone is probably thinking there are movie critics on the Grassy Knoll.) But what is even worse, is having extremely high expectations for a movie and the movie turns out… More
  [color=magenta] Filmmakers sometimes imagine critics are predisposed against their movies.(For example, Oliver Stone is probably thinking there are movie critics on the Grassy Knoll.) But what is even worse, is having extremely high expectations for a movie and the movie turns out to be simply a good one. That's my problem with Pedro Almodovar's latest film, Bad Education. Almodovar has made some great movies - Matador, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother and Talk to Her - and I thought maybe Bad Education would be in the same league. It's not but I still liked it. It's about an actor approaching a director with a story that he's partially based on his past at a Catholic school. It's an intelligent, well-acted movie but it's not as smart as it thinks it is. And Gael Garcia Bernal's character is too much of a cipher to have any sympathy for. [/color]

• Panta O

  
  Pleasently surprised with this drama with Hitchcok taste... amazing work on the screenplay, directing and acting... everything fits so well. Pedro Almodóvar made a movie which keeps you on your seats all the time and there's no wonder that it had the honor of opening in the 57th… More
  Pleasently surprised with this drama with Hitchcok taste... amazing work on the screenplay, directing and acting... everything fits so well. Pedro Almodóvar made a movie which keeps you on your seats all the time and there's no wonder that it had the honor of opening in the 57th Cannes Film Festival in 2004 - the first Spanish film to do so.

• Hassan V

  
  I havn't watched many Almodovar films but besides â~Talk to Herâ(TM) I always feel his aesthetic style takes centre stage from any of the emotion of his stories and I felt that this was the case in Bad Education. Still, I will watch more Almodovar hoping to find something that… More
  I havn't watched many Almodovar films but besides â~Talk to Herâ(TM) I always feel his aesthetic style takes centre stage from any of the emotion of his stories and I felt that this was the case in Bad Education. Still, I will watch more Almodovar hoping to find something that will match Talk to Her

• Alec B

  
  Pedro Almodovar is one of the few directors who can write extremely well and have a great visual style as well. Like many of his films, Bad Education takes a number of bizarre and unexpected turns. Almodovar films never end up where you think they would and that is constantly… More
  Pedro Almodovar is one of the few directors who can write extremely well and have a great visual style as well. Like many of his films, Bad Education takes a number of bizarre and unexpected turns. Almodovar films never end up where you think they would and that is constantly refreshing. The film is also a great performance piece for Gael Garcia Bernal who plays two different people in the movie.

• Joey N

  
  Hugely entertaining and intriguing. I didn't really realize it was going to be a Vertigo-influenced noir. I LOVE Almodovar's visual style and flair. He's the shit.

• Sylvester K

  
  A movie you have to watch if you like serious drama, it's so complicated than it seemed. The combination of different philosophical elements was blended really well

• Sunil J

  
  Gael Garcia Bernal's best performance to date and my favorite Almodóvar film.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings