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Matador
1986 105 min Spain NC-17 18+
★7.3
Drama, Thriller
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
A conflicted youth confesses to crimes he didn't commit while a man and woman aroused by death become obsessed with each other.
US Gross:
$279,394
Worldwide:
$286,126
Starring
Assumpta Serna
Actor
Antonio Banderas
Actor
Nacho Martínez
Actor
Awards
Goya Awards 1987
— Best Supporting Actor
Key opinion
Almodóvar’s Matador is a polarizing, stylistic erotic thriller that equates bullfighting, sex, and death through a series of grotesque and ritualistic metaphors. While fans admire its bold aesthetic and cult status, detractors find the narrative fragmented and its provocations vulgar.
| Theme | The film masterfully equates the violence of the bullring with sexual ecstasy and murder as a surreal, sacrificial ritual. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively utilizes a heightened, hallucinogenic visual style to emphasize the film's morbid and erotic themes. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative structure is disjointed and chaotic, leaving some viewers feeling alienated by a lack of coherent storytelling. | |
| Originality | The film's relentless focus on provocative, transgressive content is seen as artistic daring by some, but as empty, vulgar kitsch by others. |