THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is a surprisingly restrained film (no drag queens, raunchy sex, or murders) from Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, and is considered one of his best. Romance novelist Leo (Marisa Paredes) experiences a nervous breakdown when she realizes her U.N. peacekeeper husband (Imanol Arias) no longer loves her, and the morbid novel she has just finished will never be accepted by her profit-minded publisher. Depressed, alcoholic, and suicidal, she begins to write for a Spanish newspaper under a pseudonym, starting with a scathing critique of her previous, best-selling work. The paper's hard-drinking, overweight editor Ángel (Juan Echanove) falls in love with Leo, never realizing the "flower of her secret"--that her other pen name is Amanda Gris, and that she is the writer of the romance novels he loves. The delightful cast includes Rossy De Palma and Chus Lampreave--hilarious as Leo's constantly bickering sister and mother--and Carmen Elías as her best friend, a woman who trains doctors in soliciting organ donations from grieving relatives. Almodóvar fills this beautiful film with sharply realized scenes, rich helpings of Spanish flavor, and a vibrant compassion for his characters.

Struggling with her failing marriage and her desire to become a serious writer, a longtime romance novelist takes a job as a literary critic at a Madrid newspaper. Hired under a false name to review one of her own novels, she and her new editor begin to develop a warm admiration--which makes things especially sticky when her husband comes back to town.

Theatrical release: March 8, 1996.

THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET was screened at the 1995 New York and San Sebastian Film Festivals.

Filmed in Madrid, Spain.

Maria Paredes appears in more than 40 films, including Pedro Almodóvar's ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER and Roberto Benigni's LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.

Excerpt: "No war compares to you."--Paco (Imanol Arias) to Leo (Marisa Paredes)

DVD Features:

Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Stereo - Spanish
Subtitles - English - Closed Captioning
Subtitles - English, French - Optional

Marisa Paredes: Actress
Carmen Elías: Spanish Actress
Juan Echanove: Spanish Actor

Pedro Almodóvar: Spanish Director/Screenwriter

"...Deliberately finer-grained and more mature....Marisa Paredes gives a performance of great interior power..."
"...It's Almodovar's most committed work in years..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
"...Propelled by stellar performances and a script that resonates with intelligence, subtlety and surprises..."
"...For Almodovar color is a wholly serious index to the soul, which is more unguardedly on display here than ever before in his work..."
"...[A] darkly comic and uncommonly tender tale..."
"...[Almodovar] returns to form....As tart as ever..." -- Rating: B+