Laberinto de pasiones (Labyrinth of Passion) (1982)

100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(2,554 ratings)

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's films are colorful, sexy, and very funny, and this one is a perfect introduction to his work. An emperor's son, Reza Niro (Imanol Arias), comes to Madrid in disguise and sleeps with Sadeq (Antonio Banderas), an Islamic terrorist with a highly developed sense of… More Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's films are colorful, sexy, and very funny, and this one is a perfect introduction to his work. An emperor's son, Reza Niro (Imanol Arias), comes to Madrid in disguise and sleeps with Sadeq (Antonio Banderas), an Islamic terrorist with a highly developed sense of smell. Sadeq's group wants to kidnap Reza, who disguises himself as a punk rock singer and falls in love with Sexilia (Cecilia Roth), a nymphomaniac singer for a rival band. There's also a wealthy woman (Helga Line) who wants Reza's sperm for an artificial insemination, a delirious dry-cleaner who sleeps with his own daughter, and other bizarre characters. Almodovar takes delight in intersecting lives, chance meetings, and humor that springs from the strangest of situations. He also has the rare talent of presenting potentially offensive material in such a whimsical and affectionate fashion that no matter what his characters do, the audience loves them as much as he does. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
Written By: Pedro Almodóvar
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1982 Wide

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin, New York Times
[Labyrinth of Passion]...shows off the bright, gaudy visual style, the breezy manner and the exuberant energy that are Mr. Almodovar's particular virtues.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
An early and rather choice effort from Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Almodovar (who has a cameo as a leather-jacketed transvestite rock singer) has already learned (somewhat) how to pull off such a difficult act, by treating the potentially offensive with such cartoonish abandon that it becomes ridiculous to take offense.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Though coarser and cheaper than Almodovar's later efforts, this comic orgy is prototypically Pedrovian.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Almodovar's second film is, among other things, a satirical critique of mainstream culture definition of love

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

The best way to describe Labyrinth of Passion is that it's like a primitive Pedro Almodóvar film and of course, that is exactly what it is. The story is silly but forgivable, the characters on the other hand are a fantastic and are the usual exotic mix of misfits that you expect… More
The best way to describe Labyrinth of Passion is that it's like a primitive Pedro Almodóvar film and of course, that is exactly what it is. The story is silly but forgivable, the characters on the other hand are a fantastic and are the usual exotic mix of misfits that you expect from a Almodóvar film. The script is also killer, there are so many brilliant scenes, it should be a five star film. Unfortunately, it lacks towards the end, and I marked it down mainly due to the two unlikable and unnecessary incestuous scenes and the fairly infantile 'poo' scene. Apart from that, it's ace - my favourite scene by far being the Fabio McNamara 'Driller killer' porn scene - his performance and the script are hilarious.
Wahida K

A camp melodrama/comedy about Sexilia (a nymphomaniac), Sadec (a gay Islamic terrorist), Riza Niro (the son of the emperor of Tiran), and Queti (the daughter of a dry-cleaner). When Riza Niro discovers that Sadec and his colleagues are after him, he disguises himself as a punk rocker,… More
A camp melodrama/comedy about Sexilia (a nymphomaniac), Sadec (a gay Islamic terrorist), Riza Niro (the son of the emperor of Tiran), and Queti (the daughter of a dry-cleaner). When Riza Niro discovers that Sadec and his colleagues are after him, he disguises himself as a punk rocker, and falls in love with the stunning Sexilia, his first straight relationship. Meanwhile Queti, Sexilia's "biggest fan", helps Sexilia come to terms with her new life-style.