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Fele Martínez, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Jiménez Cacho, Lluis Homar, Javier Cámara ... see more see more... , Petra Martínez , Nacho Pérez , Raul Garcia Forneiro , Alberto Ferreiro , Juan Fernández , Francisco Maestre , Leonor Watling , Sandra Carter Productions , Francisco Boira , Ignacio Perez , Roberto Hoyas

Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar takes a look at his own adolescence as well as confronting the issue of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church in this stylish drama, which was chosen to open the 2004 Cann... read more read more...es Film Festival. Enrique Goded (Fele Martínez) is a Spanish filmmaker who is having trouble settling on a new project when he's approached by Ignacio Rodriguez (Gael García Bernal), who was his close friend when they were schoolboys. Goded, who fell in love for the first time with Rodriguez, barely recognizes the man as his former crush, but agrees to read the short story he's written. The tale turns out to be an semi-autobiographical account of their days in a Catholic boarding school, in which a cross-dressing night-club performer named Zahara (also played by Bernal) hooks up with a man named Enrique (Alberto Ferreiro), who turns out to have been his first lover when he was a student. Recalling their school days, Zahara tracks down Father Manolo (Daniel Giménez Cacho), one of his teachers from school with pedophilic tendencies, and threatens to expose the priest's attempts to seduce him and ruin his relationship with Enrique years ago. Goded decides to use the story as the basis for his next film, and Rodriguez, an out-of-work actor, makes it clear he's eager to play Zahara. However, Goded isn't certain if Rodriguez is the right actor for the role, or if he's even the man he claims to be; an angry conflict with Rodriguez leads Goded back to the real Ignacio's mother (Petra Martínez). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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84% liked it

44,431 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

135 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Release Date: November 19, 2004

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2005

Stats: 2,382 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,382)

  • hunterjt13
    September 17, 2011
    hunterjt13
    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... read more. 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. Bad Education 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, Bad Education is for Almodovar fans, and that's about it.
  • ythelastman89
    April 11, 2010
    ythelastman89
    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... read more 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.
  • flixsterman
    March 7, 2010
    flixsterman
    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... read more brilliant!).
  • binky013
    September 2, 2009
    binky013
    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 : )

    There is no doubt in my mind that Gael Garc

    ... read moreia 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.

    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.

    Miss this one if you don't have all the time in the world left to watch movies.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    July 18, 2009
    StarCrossedVoyager
    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.
  • 76Majikat
    February 10, 2009
    76Majikat
    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 ... read moretopic, which many Directors wouldn't have delved into.
  • ebs90
    January 16, 2009
    ebs90
    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 e... read morexcellent 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.
  • ceWEBrity
    December 21, 2008
    ceWEBrity
    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.
  • fernandorafael
    July 14, 2007
    fernandorafael
    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 ... read moremeet 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.
  • SarahG1988
    May 28, 2007
    SarahG1988
    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 t... read morehe late 70s and in 1980. These meetings are set to change the life and death of some of them.

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    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 Talk To Her, 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.

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    The story falters slightly in the closing stages . That's the only thing stopping it from usurpingTalk To Her. 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

View All Bad Education (La Mala educación) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Logan Hill
February 27, 2005
Logan Hill, New York Magazine

It still exerts an uncanny power: Like the best of Almodóvar's work, it throws you a first-love sucker punch that will stagger your heart, mind, and soul. Full Review

Roger Moore
February 11, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Simple melodrama, a not-that-puzzling puzzle of a film noir. Full Review

Bill Muller
February 10, 2005
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

Taken at face value, Bad Education is about molestation, but from a wider perspective, it's about love, loss of innocence and the desperate quest for redemption. Full Review

Terry Lawson
February 4, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

Even though Bad Education ultimately seems to escape the director's control, there is no small amount of enjoyment in getting lost in its sexual-philosophical house of mirrors. Full Review

Tom Long
February 4, 2005
Tom Long, Detroit News

Reality, fantasy and cinema interweave with such grace and power that it's often difficult to separate one from the other, which is, of course, the point.

Jeff Strickler
January 27, 2005
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

This is a disturbing film that challenges the viewer's comfort. It also challenges you to keep up as it jumps stylistically from comedy to romance to drama to a film noir thriller. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
January 20, 2005
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

A masterful epic charting love's labyrinths.

Liam Lacey
January 15, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

His films are set-designed to the teeth, fastidiously framed and filled with beautiful bodies across the gender spectrum. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 14, 2005
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

One of Almodovar's darkest films since the early days of Law of Desire and Matador, and certainly one of his finest. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
January 14, 2005
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

To watch Bad Education is to revel, along with Almodovar, in the power of cinema to take us on journeys of breathtaking mystery and dimension and beauty. Full Review

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