La flor de mi secreto
Encyclopedia
The Flower of My Secret (Spanish
: La flor de mi secreto) is a 1995 film
by Spanish
director Pedro Almodóvar
.
is Leocadia ("Leo") Macias, a woman writing “pink” romance novels under the alias of Amanda Gris that are very popular all across Spain. Unlike her romantic novels, her own love life is troubled. Leo has a less than happy relationship with her husband Paco (Imanol Arias
), a military officer stationed in Brussels then later in Bosnia, who is distant both physically and emotionally. The film starts when Leo writes about the feeling of having lost her lover, a feeling which Leo compares with the pain of an uncomfortable pair of boots that she can't take off.
Leo begins to change the direction of her writing, wanting to focus more on darker themes such as pain and loss, and can no longer write her Amanda Gris novels, whose publishers demand sentimental happy-endings, at least until her contract is up.
She begins to re-evaluate her life through her relationship with her husband, her supposed best friend Betty, her "crab-faced" sister Rosa and her bickering elderly mother. She also meets Angel (Juan Echanove
), a newspaper editor who quickly falls for Leo and her writing.
After having signed the contract with the newspaper El País, the editor realises that instead of a pink novel, Leo had written something very different from that. Leo, confesses that she forgot writing pink novels, and that her sentimental situation led her to write a black novel about a young mother whose daughter kills her husband because he tried to rape her. After that, the corpse of the death man is hidden in a refrigerator (It's casually the same plot as the future film "Volver
", released eleven years after this film).
Leo went to the apartment where her sister Rosa (Rossy de Palma
) and her mother (Chus Lampreave
) live. There, Leo sees a very comical scene between them. After that, she went where her best friend Betty lives. There, Paco, her husband makes a phone call talking about his situation during the Bosnia and Herzegovina wars.
When she was writing at night, Leo received again, a phone call by Paco, who tells her that he had permission to see her for 24 hours. After hearing this, Leo's humour changed suddenly and starts preparing all for the visit. Once Paco arrives, Leo sees that her husband's behaviour is strange, and that he tries to avoid her. Finally, he tells that actually, he hadn't 24 hours of permission as he said before, In fact, he confesses that he had only two hours. After hearing that, Leo got really angry and sad. That sadness is bigger when Paco goes to his mission again, telling her that there's no way to save their relationship.
Drowned by an intense pain in her heart, Leo took an overdose of tranquimazil, and fell asleep in her bedroom. Three days later, she hears the voice of her mother who proposes her to go to Almagro, a little village to spend some weeks, but still possessed by an unbearable pain, she started walking alone in the street, being surprised by a doctor's strike. there, Angel saw her and he decided to take her to his home. After telling to Angel her sentimental troubles, Betty, her friend decides to tell her that she is the new lover of Paco, a traumatic revelation that Leo was suspecting.
Finally, Leo, decides to go to Almagro with her mother. There, she tries to recover from all what had happened, something that she partially got. In that village, she receives the phone call of her editor who tells her that a film based on her unpublished black novel was being shot. This fact made her return to Madrid, where she meets Angel again, with whom she starts falling in love. Then, after seeing an artistic representation starring by Joaquín Cortés
, she returns to her home again. There, Leo receives the visit of the dancer, who confesses that he stole the papers from her unpublished novel, to give them to a film director.
Starting to feel recovered from her sentimental crisis, she goes to Angel's home, with whom she confirms her love for him..
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: La flor de mi secreto) is a 1995 film
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
director Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
.
Plot
Marisa ParedesMarisa Paredes
María Luisa Paredes Bartolomé, , better known in show business as Marisa Paredes, is a Spanish actress.-Biography:...
is Leocadia ("Leo") Macias, a woman writing “pink” romance novels under the alias of Amanda Gris that are very popular all across Spain. Unlike her romantic novels, her own love life is troubled. Leo has a less than happy relationship with her husband Paco (Imanol Arias
Imanol Arias
Imanol Arias born Manuel María Arias Domínguez , is a Spanish actor and one off film director.Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group in Spain performing in the Basque Country of northern Spain. He debuted on TV in 1976 and his first film was in "Cecilia " of 'Humberto Solas'...
), a military officer stationed in Brussels then later in Bosnia, who is distant both physically and emotionally. The film starts when Leo writes about the feeling of having lost her lover, a feeling which Leo compares with the pain of an uncomfortable pair of boots that she can't take off.
Leo begins to change the direction of her writing, wanting to focus more on darker themes such as pain and loss, and can no longer write her Amanda Gris novels, whose publishers demand sentimental happy-endings, at least until her contract is up.
She begins to re-evaluate her life through her relationship with her husband, her supposed best friend Betty, her "crab-faced" sister Rosa and her bickering elderly mother. She also meets Angel (Juan Echanove
Juan Echanove
-Selected filmography:*Manolete *Alatriste .*Bienvenido a casa *Morir en San Hilario .*Los Reyes Magos - voz - .*Sin noticias de Dios...
), a newspaper editor who quickly falls for Leo and her writing.
After having signed the contract with the newspaper El País, the editor realises that instead of a pink novel, Leo had written something very different from that. Leo, confesses that she forgot writing pink novels, and that her sentimental situation led her to write a black novel about a young mother whose daughter kills her husband because he tried to rape her. After that, the corpse of the death man is hidden in a refrigerator (It's casually the same plot as the future film "Volver
Volver
Volver is a 2006 Spanish dramatic comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Headed by actress Penélope Cruz, the film features an ensemble cast starring Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, and Chus Lampreave...
", released eleven years after this film).
Leo went to the apartment where her sister Rosa (Rossy de Palma
Rossy de Palma
Rossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress. Described by many as a Picasso come-to-life, Rossy de Palma broke the rules of beauty in 1988 when she starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and became a model and muse for designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, and...
) and her mother (Chus Lampreave
Chus Lampreave
Chus Lampreave is a Spanish actress.She started in movies in 1958, but she became internationally known thanks to her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar, where she plays old ladies with maternal or pastoral traits.- Filmography :...
) live. There, Leo sees a very comical scene between them. After that, she went where her best friend Betty lives. There, Paco, her husband makes a phone call talking about his situation during the Bosnia and Herzegovina wars.
When she was writing at night, Leo received again, a phone call by Paco, who tells her that he had permission to see her for 24 hours. After hearing this, Leo's humour changed suddenly and starts preparing all for the visit. Once Paco arrives, Leo sees that her husband's behaviour is strange, and that he tries to avoid her. Finally, he tells that actually, he hadn't 24 hours of permission as he said before, In fact, he confesses that he had only two hours. After hearing that, Leo got really angry and sad. That sadness is bigger when Paco goes to his mission again, telling her that there's no way to save their relationship.
Drowned by an intense pain in her heart, Leo took an overdose of tranquimazil, and fell asleep in her bedroom. Three days later, she hears the voice of her mother who proposes her to go to Almagro, a little village to spend some weeks, but still possessed by an unbearable pain, she started walking alone in the street, being surprised by a doctor's strike. there, Angel saw her and he decided to take her to his home. After telling to Angel her sentimental troubles, Betty, her friend decides to tell her that she is the new lover of Paco, a traumatic revelation that Leo was suspecting.
Finally, Leo, decides to go to Almagro with her mother. There, she tries to recover from all what had happened, something that she partially got. In that village, she receives the phone call of her editor who tells her that a film based on her unpublished black novel was being shot. This fact made her return to Madrid, where she meets Angel again, with whom she starts falling in love. Then, after seeing an artistic representation starring by Joaquín Cortés
Joaquín Cortés
Joaquín Pedraja Reyes "Joaquín Cortés" is a classically trained ballet and flamenco dancer from Spain of Romani origin.-Biography:...
, she returns to her home again. There, Leo receives the visit of the dancer, who confesses that he stole the papers from her unpublished novel, to give them to a film director.
Starting to feel recovered from her sentimental crisis, she goes to Angel's home, with whom she confirms her love for him..
Cast
- Marisa ParedesMarisa ParedesMaría Luisa Paredes Bartolomé, , better known in show business as Marisa Paredes, is a Spanish actress.-Biography:...
- Leo Macías - Juan EchanoveJuan Echanove-Selected filmography:*Manolete *Alatriste .*Bienvenido a casa *Morir en San Hilario .*Los Reyes Magos - voz - .*Sin noticias de Dios...
- Ángel - Carme ElíasCarme ElíasCarme Elías i Boada is a Spanish film actress.-Selected filmography:- External links :...
- Betty - Rossy de PalmaRossy de PalmaRossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress. Described by many as a Picasso come-to-life, Rossy de Palma broke the rules of beauty in 1988 when she starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and became a model and muse for designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, and...
- Rosa - Chus LampreaveChus LampreaveChus Lampreave is a Spanish actress.She started in movies in 1958, but she became internationally known thanks to her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar, where she plays old ladies with maternal or pastoral traits.- Filmography :...
- Madre de Leo - Kiti ManverKiti ManverKiti Manver is a Spanish actress. She has appeared in 84 films and television shows since 1970. She starred in the 1973 film Habla, mudita, which was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
- Manuela - Joaquín CortésJoaquín CortésJoaquín Pedraja Reyes "Joaquín Cortés" is a classically trained ballet and flamenco dancer from Spain of Romani origin.-Biography:...
- Antonio - Manuela Vargas - Blanca
- Imanol AriasImanol AriasImanol Arias born Manuel María Arias Domínguez , is a Spanish actor and one off film director.Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group in Spain performing in the Basque Country of northern Spain. He debuted on TV in 1976 and his first film was in "Cecilia " of 'Humberto Solas'...
- Paco - Gloria Muñoz - Alicia
Awards
- 1996 — 7 Goya Award nominations
- Marisa Paredes won Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, the ACE Awards and the Sant Jordi Awards