The Flower of My Secret (La Flor de mi secreto) (1995)

83% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(6,065 ratings)

From Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Live Flesh, All About My Mother) comes this offbeat drama about Leo Macías (Marisa Paredes), a romance novelist who writes her trashy tomes under the pseudonym Amanda Gris. When her marriage begins to dissolve, Leo finds herself falling into despair, leading… More From Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Live Flesh, All About My Mother) comes this offbeat drama about Leo Macías (Marisa Paredes), a romance novelist who writes her trashy tomes under the pseudonym Amanda Gris. When her marriage begins to dissolve, Leo finds herself falling into despair, leading her to drink and lose her knack for writing her tawdry tales. Out of her turmoil, she writes a bleak novel that garners no attention. To make matters worse, Ángel (Juan Echanove), a newspaper editor with a romantic interest in Leo, hires her to write a scathing review of Amanda Gris, not realizing Gris is Leo's nom de plume. Nominated for several Goya awards, La Flor de Mi Secreto also stars Carmen Elías and Rossy de Palma. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 8, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Apr 12, 2005
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Caryn James, New York Times
Though The Flower of My Secret is a slight work, it is a pleasing return to form.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The movie is full of familiar Almodovar fare, but it feels freshened.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
An intimate, beautifully wrought work, it reflects a new maturity in Almodovar's work and is one of his best pictures.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
A ripe, entertaining soap opera.
Scott Rosenberg, Salon.com
It slowly unfolds from a narrow satire into a romance that's rich with real-life bitterness.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
It's bland as often as it is affecting, and presents little that's new or original.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
If it isn't as successful as his very best work, neither is it a failure -- and there are certainly enough Alomodovarisms to bring a smile to anyone's face
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
Dramatizes the contentious relationship between fiction and reality.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
an archetypal romantic comedy that reshapes the mold
James Plath, Reel.com
The performers seem limited by the constraints of a Melodramatic Script on the Verge of a Breakthrough but never quite getting there.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
I found this dramatization a mature Almodovar work, perceptive and cutting through in an incisive way to the everyday problems in life that wear people down.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Depicts the magical turnaround in the life of a writer of romance novels.
Alex Albanese, Boxoffice Magazine
Seems to go in a dozen directions at once but ties up in the final reel into a tight, cohesive and enjoyable whole.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
For the most part it is an absorbing story.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

The flower of my secret has a much more serious tone to it than most of Almodóvar's films. It's not completely without humour but I did find it to have a welcome element of seriousness. I personally thought Marisa Paredes was brilliant in the lead role and I was entertained… More
The flower of my secret has a much more serious tone to it than most of Almodóvar's films. It's not completely without humour but I did find it to have a welcome element of seriousness. I personally thought Marisa Paredes was brilliant in the lead role and I was entertained throughout. I can see why the Almodóvar hard core didn't like it so much though, his usual trashy flare is replaced by a rather sensible sophistication but I generally believe that this is among his better films. I certainly don't think you'd have Volver or Broken Embraces without The Flower of my Secret!
Matheus C

Minor but not less entertaining Almodóvar, filled with his usual visual flair and bizarre and soapoperarish trademarks.
Jim H

A romance novel writer attempts to save her failing marriage while pursued by her new editor. This Almodovar film is simple and simplistic melodrama. There are all the elements: an overly emotional protagonist who obsesses over the wrong man and tries to kill herself, a family drama… More
A romance novel writer attempts to save her failing marriage while pursued by her new editor. This Almodovar film is simple and simplistic melodrama. There are all the elements: an overly emotional protagonist who obsesses over the wrong man and tries to kill herself, a family drama with a dying mother, and some coincidences too coincidental to be believed. All of the film's flaws notwithstanding, I found Almodovar's dialogue less stilted and her characters a little more realistic than I normally do, so there were some diamonds in the rough. But overall, it's mostly rough.
Randy T

A little more 'mainstream' than the Almodóvar I've come to know and love, but still very enjoyable.
Lanning :

It will take a spectacular film from Pedro Almodóvar to knock Hable con ella and Volver out of the #1 and #2 positions on my favorite Almodóvar list. After seeing this one, I'm still looking for that better film. This didn't really… More
It will take a spectacular film from Pedro Almodóvar to knock Hable con ella and Volver out of the #1 and #2 positions on my favorite Almodóvar list. After seeing this one, I'm still looking for that better film. This didn't really strike me as bearing all the Almodóvar marks that I admire most. In fact, I found it a bit tedious. But I'll not give up my search. Every one of his productions is worth seeing at least once, just so you can know you've seen it. It's never a waste of time.
Lady D

Although this appears to be one of Almodovar?s best, in terms of the critics, I never quite felt that quality and feel it lacked the Almodovar stamp that sets much of his work apart from others. That being said it was watchable, but without any rise of excitement for me. I did… More
Although this appears to be one of Almodovar?s best, in terms of the critics, I never quite felt that quality and feel it lacked the Almodovar stamp that sets much of his work apart from others. That being said it was watchable, but without any rise of excitement for me. I did like the references to PD's other work, but this was a reminder that this piece was not in the same league.
Megan S

Another good movie from Almodovar. Everyone in this movie has a secret or a different nature that they don't really show anyone. It was full of great imagery that distorted the characters like multiple images reflected in windows and split mirrors.
Eric B

If the word "dull" could ever be applied to someone like Pedro Almodóvar, "The Flower of My Secret" may be the director's dullest film. The story is thin despite its diverse characterizations, and is wholly free of his usual spice and controversy.… More
If the word "dull" could ever be applied to someone like Pedro Almodóvar, "The Flower of My Secret" may be the director's dullest film. The story is thin despite its diverse characterizations, and is wholly free of his usual spice and controversy. The strangest element is just a quirky exposition where the protagonist goes hours without being able to remove some undersized boots. Maturely glamorous Marisa Paredes plays Leocadia ("Leo" for short), a best-selling romance novelist who writes under the pseudonym "Amanda Gris." Her marriage to a distant, military husband is falling apart, so she has become disillusioned with her literary niche. Hoping to expand her range, she pitches herself as a different sort of writer to Angel, the editor of a local newspaper. An attachment between these two grows and is quite sweet (pudgy, bearded Angel is hardly a typical movie lover), but there's just not much juice to the story beyond this. Mainly, the issue is about Leo being in the odd position of competing with herself, due to her writing being sold via three different identities. Leo's housekeeper and her son also play a role, but they're mostly included to justify an exotic dance performance near the end. A side plot focused on Leo's bickering sister and mother adds colorful dialogue but fails to go anywhere. There is a brief, fascinating glimpse of traditional weaving with about 20 minutes to go -- it added nothing to the story, but I'd be interested to learn more about this craft.
Ina S

Marisa Paredes is immaculate in this, she even balances out some minor weaknesses in the narrative flow. Fascinating and captivating story of a woman re-defining herself professionally and personally and distancing herself from a failed relationship. I did not care for the ending at… More
Marisa Paredes is immaculate in this, she even balances out some minor weaknesses in the narrative flow. Fascinating and captivating story of a woman re-defining herself professionally and personally and distancing herself from a failed relationship. I did not care for the ending at all - but apart from that, another good one from Almodovar.