The curious life story of Pedro Almodovar: How the iconic Spanish filmmaker was destined to become a priest – but stuck with cinema and is fast-becoming a Hollywood darling

HOLLYWOOD has a new darling and he’s a Spaniard. But did you know Pedro Almodovar’s humble roots?

Pedro Almodovar is one of Spain’s most prolific and celebrated filmmakers, renowned for his bold, vibrant storytelling and willingness to tackle taboo subjects such as sexuality, death, and religion.

He has worked with actors of the stature of Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and most recently Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, and won countless awards, including two Oscars.

But throughout his career he has worked exclusively in Spanish, until now that is.

The 74-year-olds 25th film, and first production in English, The Room Next Door, has won critical acclaim, swiping the coveted Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and receiving an 18-minute standing ovation. 

Not bad for a man who was born in the impoverished La Mancha town of Calzada de Calatrava, where he lived with his parents and three siblings.

However, he didn’t spend long there, as when he was eight years old, his family sent him to a religious boarding school in Caceres, Extremadura.

They hoped he would become a priest, but it was there that Almodovar fell in love with cinema. 

“Cinema became my real education, much more than the one I received from the priest,” he later said.

In 1968, Almodovar moved to Madrid against his parents wishes. There he found a vibrant underground arts scene while he supported himself by working at the Rastro flea market.

These were in the days where Spanish dictator Franco reigned supreme with a repressive government that was not open to boundary-pushing young filmmakers.

Despite the closure of the National School of Cinema under Franco’s regime, Almodovar, then aged 19, persisted in learning the craft of filmmaking on his own.

He took a job with phone company Telefonica and bought a Super 8 camera with his first paycheck. He then produced a series of short films that gained attention within Madrid’s Movida Madrileña, a countercultural movement that flourished after Franco’s death in 1975.

Almodovar became a key figure in this cultural renaissance exploring taboo topics such as sex, death and religion. 

Without the support of big studios, he could not add soundtracks to his films. He said: “I remember that I became very famous in Madrid because, as the films had no sound, I took a cassette with music while I personally did the voices of all the characters, songs and dialogues.”

Finally, in 1980, Almodovar made his first feature film Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mum. 

The film had a tiny budget of 400,000 pesetas (€2,404) and told the story of Pepi, a woman seeking revenge on a corrupt policeman who raped her. 

It quickly grew a cult following in Spain and is often compared to the films of American filmmaker John Waters, which pushed through moral and social boundaries.

Just two years later, Almodovar released Labyrinth of Passion, another cult success. 

The film marked the director’s first collaboration with actor Antonio Banderas. 

Then in 1983, he released Dark Habits, a film about a cabaret singer seeking refuge in a convent of eccentric nuns. 

The controversial film marked Almodovar’s first moderate critical and commercial success. 

Following a spate of equally shocking cult films, Almodovar established his own production company in 1987 alongside his brothers, Agustin. 

El Deseo’s first film, Law of Desire, received great critical reception, scooping the first ever Teddy Award for LGBT representation at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

His international breakthrough came with Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), a feminist action-comedy that earned over $7 million at the US box office, garnered five Goya Awards, and earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. This film established Almodovar as a filmmaker of global renown, known for his vivid visual style and intricate, emotionally charged narratives.

By 1997, Almodovar’s worldwide reputation was growing. 

That year, he released Live Flesh, based on the book of the same name by British author Ruth Rendell. 

The film marked Almodovar’s first collaboration with actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

By this point, the Spaniard had earnt an unshakeable reputation as a controversial, vanguard filmmaker unafraid of taboos.

In the next few years, he would release some of his best known works including All About My Mother, which won him his first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999, Volver and The Skin I Live In. 

In 2002 he picked up a second Oscar for Talk to Her, scooping Best Original Screenplay, alongside a Bafta and a Golden Globe. This was also the year that he met his partner, actor and photographer Fernando Iglesias.

Following the Covid-19 lockdown, he and his brother released Parallel Mothers. 

The 2021 film follows the lives of two mothers who give birth on the same day and is the precursor to Almodovar’s upcoming movie. 

The Room Next Door, to be released on October 18, is the filmmaker’s call for the international legalisation of euthanasia. 

In the film, British actress Tilda Swinton plays a journalist suffering from cancer.

Swinton’s character asks an old friend, portrayed by Julianne Moore, to help her end her life. 

Spain legalised euthanasia in 2021 and is one of only 11 countries in which a form of assisted dying is legal. 

At a press conference at Venice Film Festival, the filmmaker said: “There should be the possibility to have euthanasia all over the world.” 

With numerous Goya Awards, two Academy Awards, and countless other accolades under his belt, Pedro Almodóvar remains a vital and influential voice in contemporary cinema.

It is all a long way from his roots in a sleepy town in La Mancha.