Pedro Almodovar is one of the most interesting of the current crop of European Directors and this is another fine example of his work.
A story within a story - we meet Enrique(Fele Martinez) a film maker who encounters a young actor called Ignatio(Gael Garcia Bernal) who knew at him at school and was in fact his first love - Ignatio has written a story about their schooldays together and their encounter with Fr Manola who had a thing for young boys.....Enrique(who is looking for a subject for his new film) is inteagued but something about Ignatio doesn't quite ring true....the sexual attraction is still there but its not the Ignatio he remembers - neverless he agrees to make the film.

This device allows Almodovar to unveil a Russian Doll of a movie - we see Igantio's story acted out with Bernal playing a transvestite pretending to be Ignatio's sister and blackmailing the Priest....during filming the real Priest turns up and it soon becomes apparant that nothing is at it seems....and everyone is playing a certain role whose motives are murky at the very least.
You basicilly have actors playing characters playing actors playing other characters.....without revealing too much Bernal plays no less than 3 differnt roles in the film.....its as much to do with how individuals try and project onto others what they would like them to be - its most obvious reference point is Hitchcocks Vertigo and like that film its only afterwards that all becomes apparant.
Martinez is exellent in the role,accepting certain things even though he knows them not to be the truth but its Bernal (who was eaqualy good in The Motor Cycle Diaries) who is quite amazing - when he plays Zahara the trannie he bears an unsettling resembelance to Julia Roberts and manages to play all the roles with considerble style - he really is becoming a major talent.

It may not have the emotinal depth of Talk to Her and some of the lurid elements hark back to his earlier work but its still a considerable achiement.