 
Bad Education Two acclaimed directors, two Spanish-language films and two seedy tales guaranteed to shock, titillate and intrigue – joy! Academy Award winner Pedro AlmodÛvar ventures into film noir
territory with Bad Education and From Mexican director Arturo Ripstein comes Deep Crimson - a sordid tale (originally released in 1996), based on the true story of a couple known as the “Lonely Hearts Killers” (previously depicted in Leonard Kastle’s 1970 film, “The Honeymoon Killers.”). The story centers on Coral, an obese mother of two, who answers a personals ad from Nicolas, a man claiming to bear a strong resemblance to Charles Boyer, the object of the woman’s romantic fantasies. Nicolas turns out to be a gigolo who travels the country seducing lonely women and swindling and/or outright stealing from them to earn a living. Despite being rejected after their first meeting (and sexual encounter), Coral tracks Nicolas down and arrives unexpectedly at his doorstep along with her two children, proclaiming that they’re moving in with him. After being turned away once again, she dumps her kids at an orphanage and breaks into Nicolas’ apartment, where she discovers his dastardly scheme. This does nothing to diminish her desires however and she eventually convinces him to allow her to assist him in his underhanded seductions. They travel the countryside with Coral posing as Nicolas’ sister, but her jealousy becomes overwhelming and one by one, their targets meet an untimely demise. On the surface, the story sounds impossible, given how different these
two individuals are, yet their actions are all based on the exploits
of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez who were tried and executed for
their crimes in 1951. Deep Crimson is often gruesome and unflinching
in depicting the depravity of serial killers, but it’s well crafted
and a fascinating look at what extremes people will go to, to express
their love for one another. - David Bassin
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Deep Crimson
proves
that his traditionally eccentric style and a more “classic”
genre are not diametrically opposed. Enrique is a director in search
of a good script for his next film, when he receives a surprise visit
from a man (Gael GarcÌa Bernal) claiming to be Ignacio, his old
school chum (and former lover). Ignacio is budding actor and has a semi-autobiographical
script detailing the story of his relationship with Enrique when they
were discovering their sexuality as young boys and how a pedophile priest
came between them. When the director begins delving deeper into the
story, he begins unraveling a mystery filled with layer upon layer of
deceit, false identities, drugs, blackmail and secrets. Bernal plays
three roles, including that of a drag queen named Zahara and turns in
a star-making performance that demonstrates his depth and range as an
actor. Like Hitchcock, David Lynch and other directors before him, AlmodÛvar
uses stories-within-stories on multiple levels to carefully move the
plot forward and sustain the suspense up until the end of the film.
As is his custom, each scene is carefully crafted and infused with brilliant
color and similar attention is paid to each of the characters and their
personalities. Whether you’re a fan of AlmodÛvar, film noir,
or just in the mood for an intelligent story, you’ll want to experience
Bad Education.