Pretty Good

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

"Dark Habits" from 1983 was Pedro Almodovar's first film made with a decent producer, film company, and budget. There are signs of his later brilliance in films like "Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "All About My Mother," but even for the quirky Almodovar, this is one strange film."Sister Act" is vaguely reminiscent of this movie, only in the fact that "Dark Habits" concerns Yolanda, a nightclub performer (Cristina Sánchez Pascual) whose boyfriend (Will More) overdoses while she's in his apartment. Yolanda panics, afraid she will be accused of killing him by the police, so, wearing her red sequined gown, she hides out in a Madrid convent.This is unlike any convent depicted before or since. Some of the nuns, like Yolanda herself, are drug addicts, doing heroin and coke. One nun has a pet tiger. Another writes sexy novels under a pseudonym. Another nun designs fashions and is in love with the local priest. The Mother Superior is a lesbian and falls in love with Yolanda. The nuns all have strange names, depicting that man is the lowest form of animal: Sister Snake, Sister Rat, etc.The big problem at the convent at the moment is that the Marquesa (Mary Carillo), now that her generous husband is dead, has decided to withdraw patronage from the convent. One of the nuns gets information about the Marquesa's daughter and decides to blackmail her with it."Dark Habits," I believe, suggests the Movida Madrilenia, a hedonistic countercultural movement that took place in Madrid after the death of Franco. It was meant to represent a new Spanish identity, an identity characterized by freedom of expression, use of recreational drugs, and even a new dialect. It was a hedonistic culture that more or less destroyed itself by the overuse of heroin. At the end of the era, Madrid was left with drug addicts, dead junkies, people leaving Madrid for their original hometowns, and for others, rehabilitation and a useful life.The convent serves as a microcosm of this movement. Here one sees art, drugs, music, and homosexuality.A fascinating if sometimes uncomfortable film, and certainly not representative of the later Almodovar, who himself has distanced himself from this offbeat, dark film.

I experienced a lot of different emotions when I viewed this film. I am aware that Almodovar's films bring a very unique insight to entertainment but this film was a very complex set of personal indifference. From one perspective the ideality of shedding the light on possible strains on the individual lives of Nuns when they are exposed to elements such as prostitutes, drugs and passion that lead them astray from their path is interesting. Yet still the idea of Nuns living secret drug addicted lives from each other and confiding in prostitutes for guidance is a bit extreme and can be very offensive to those belonging to the Catholic faith. The binding story line of the General Mother's struggle between her sexuality, religion, friendship, heroine, and economic deprivation is approached in a well stream lined format. Almodovar links the various indiscretions of the outside world to a down to Earth understanding of the psychological affects of those exposed to them. Then contrasts his ideas with the undertone of the forbidden love and lost of the General Mother. This allows the audience the experience of the social impact on religion while enhancing awareness of sacrifice and struggle representatives of the Catholic faith may face. I would recommend watching this movie with a degree of discretion in regards to balance of art and the reflection of idealism.

What else do you need to know? Honestly, this isn't Almodovar's best work. In fact, it's pretty sloppy story-wise. But I enjoyed the heck out of it. Cristina Sanchez Pascual plays a heroin-addicted singer who hides out in a convent after her boyfriend overdoses. The nuns there are, shall we say, a little quirky in that they are mostly on drugs (heroin, cocaine, acid - but not pot; at one point a nun says "you know I don't do soft drugs"). Also, one's a lesbian and another writes lurid romance novels and together they have raised a pet tiger. They all have names like Sister Snake and Sister Rat, because the humiliation is sacred. There's really no compelling reason the nuns are on drugs. It's just kind of a shocking, humorous detail. I think Bunuel would have loved it, though the film itself isn't particularly blasphemous. It doesn't view the nuns or Catholicism cynically. It just exists in its own, weird Almodovar universe. The plot is not very strong, so the whole thing just kind of fizzles, but it's entertaining. Carmen Maura plays one of the nuns, but she's not an extremely important character. On the Region 1 DVD, though, she graces the cover.

Nuns doing drugs. Acid, Heroin, Cocaine. Could be funny, wild and colorful. However,....this is not a witty, wacky, madcap that keeps you entertained like "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". That is a funny, colorful, wacky, madcap that you can't stop watching. This is played very subtle, very low key, almost as if it was made by someone who hadn't ever seen anyone on Acid or Cocaine. I can tell you first hand no one acts this low key on those drugs. The set design here is good. But the dialogue and the blocking of the scenes is not. It almost appears amateurish. Also, my DVD picture looks washed out and the sound isn't good. I usually LOVE Pedro's films but I would avoid this one. It isn't great.