Director Pedro Almodóvar with Penélope Cruz

I’m never going to like Almodóvar’s blend of melodrama and X-rated Benny Hill, but I left my prejudices at home and made the most of this film. It’s a practically all-female cast, but men’s deeds cast long shadows over them. (I did think “not this again” at the obviousness of the plot – and the next morning there was something more about the Jeffrey Epstein files in the newspaper. So, yes, this again.) It’s silly about serious things with a generous spirit and focus on women’s struggles, and I remind myself that Almodóvar grew up under the repression and conformity of Franco’s Spain. Cruz is wonderful – a bit like Sophia Loren, with glamour shining through even as she mops floors. Visually it’s colourful and inventive, with plenty of cleavage and bottoms as usual.