Bad Education is not really a mainstream film, nor will it ever be. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the story is about how sexual abuse and religious schooling affects the lives of two boys. Yes, I know, a delightful topic. Told through “flashback”, most of the film focuses on the later years, when they’re all grown up, and explores what happened to them. One becomes a drag queen who dies of a drug overdone, and the other becomes a film director who is approached by the drag queen’s brother to make a film about their story. There are multiple levels to the film, since half of the flashback is told through the recreation which they’re filming in the film. It’s quite meta. Also, there’s a bit of a mystery surrounding the death of the drag queen, and that area is explored also.
While the subject matter might not appeal to most audiences, for me the best part of this film was the music. Alberto Iglesias provided a tense string-heavy score that is more reminiscent of some of Bernard Herrmann’s works than anything else I’ve heard today. It’s a great soundtrack, with a nice mix of religious music and tense dramatic underscore.
If you’re a big fan of Almodóvar’s works, then obviously you’ll go see it. But you’d might wanna wait for video.