Pedro Almodóvar: Muses and Influences is a new, limited film series at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. It will be highlighting the inspirations behind the singular Spanish auteur whose immersive multichannel media installation is on view as part of the museum’s "Stories of Cinema" exhibition. Almodóvar's inspirations range from Nicholas Ray, to Ingmar Bergman, and to 1950s American science fiction. The curated room will be devoted exclusively to the artist whose work reflects the world that has shaped his art.
The series dedicated to the most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel kicks off April 21 with the filmmaker’s sensational 1993 feature Kika. (A still from the film graces the cover of the museum’s newly released book on the. artist. Pedro Almodóvar: Installation/Instalación, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures/DelMonico Books). Like all Almodóvar films, this definitely isn't for all tastes, but if you like unconventional films, this is a pretty good choice.
With 23 features to date and an active filmmaking practice since the 1970s, Almodóvar’s vibrant films have touched many genres, from melodrama and comedy to drama and high-camp musical. Way ahead of his time, his films often portray strong female characters and transsexuals which play into his off kilter perspective of societal norms. When asked to reflect upon his work, Almodovar responded, "All my movies have an autobiographical dimension, but that is indirectly, through the personages. In fact, I am behind everything that happens and that is said, but I am never talking about myself in first person singular. Something in me, probably a dislike of cheap exhibitionism, stops me from approaching a project too autobiographically."
To miss this exhibition would be to miss out on an opportunity to get to know and understand the filmmaker who has himself become a major influencer upon the future of cinema.