STEVEN ANDREW is moved beyond words by a historical account of mining in Britain made from the words of the miners themselves
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One for Almodovar fans
ALAN McGUIRE recommends an autobiography that is an intriguing mix of short stories and personal sketches
Pedro Almodovar, 2017
CAILEAN MCBRIDE welcomes a refreshing and timely study of the way officialdom creates structures that exclude LGBT+ rights and humanity
The bard mourns the loss of comrades and troubadours, and looks for consolation with Black Country Jess
CHRIS MOSS relishes the painting and the life story of a self-taught working-class artist from Warrington
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a star-studded adaptation of Ibsen’s play that is devoid of believable humanity
GORDON PARSONS is fascinated by a unique dream journal collected by a Jewish journalist in Nazi Berlin
Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade, Parthenope, Where Dragons Live and Thunderbolts* reviewed by MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE
The Last Dream
Pedro Almodovar, Harvill Secker, £16.99
PEDRO ALMODOVAR is a Spanish film-maker known for his vibrant, emotionally charged films that often explore themes of identity, sexuality, family, societal taboos and human relationships.
Coming from the deeply religious and bare landscape of Castilla la Mancha to the vibrant capital of Madrid in the throes of la movida, a counter-cultural movement following the death of Spain’s dictator Franco in 1975, Almodovar is himself a mixture of the various Spanish cultures.
In his work he breaks mainstream stereotypes of Spaniards, often with images and realities that the country’s conservatives would rather forget.
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