Dark Habits (DVD)

When singer Yolanda's boyfriend dies of a drug overdose after she supplied the drugs, she hopes to keep her head down. No such luck; it is soon clear that she is involved and the police come looking for her. Deciding to follow up a contact at a convent, she is taken in and soon becomes accustomed to the life there. Surprisingly, although the nuns obviously have faith and follow it, they also like the occasional injection of heroin, and, it is suggested, ...
...hobbies. However, the convent is in danger of shutting down. What will happen to its inhabitants? And will Yolanda manage to keep out of harm's way?

Anyone who has seen an Almodovar film will know that they rarely make sense, are often sacrilegious, and are filled with quirky happenings that give the viewer no choice but to laugh. They also concentrate on women and the stories are certainly told from their point of view. This film, ... more

When singer Yolanda's boyfriend dies of a drug overdose after she supplied the drugs, she hopes to keep her head down. No such luck; it is soon clear that she is involved and the police come looking for her. Deciding to follow up a contact at a convent, she is taken in and soon becomes accustomed to the life there. Surprisingly, although the nuns obviously have faith and follow it, they also like the occasional injection of heroin, and, it is suggested, lesbian sex. Raising tigers and writing trashy novels are other hobbies. However, the convent is in danger of shutting down. What will happen to its inhabitants? And will Yolanda manage to keep out of harm's way?

Anyone who has seen an Almodovar film will know that they rarely make sense, are often sacrilegious, and are filled with quirky happenings that give the viewer no choice but to laugh. They also concentrate on women and the stories are certainly told from their point of view. This film, although it is one of Almodovar's earlier offerings (he wrote and directed it), it does follow the usual pattern. This doesn't make it boring though. Made back in the early eighties, it is never clear what is going to happen next, and although it isn't one of my favourite Almodovar films, it is still a very entertaining one.

The fact that the film is set in a convent, the nuns of which take drugs, possibly have sex, and are generally not most people's idea of a pious follower of the Lord, is bound to offend some. If you are religious and think that you will be upset by what happens, then obviously don't watch. However, it is not quite as offensive as it initially seems - although the nuns are a bit naughty on occasion, they have the right idea at heart, and are always trying to help fallen girls in the neighbourhood.

Cristina Sanchez Pascual plays Yolanda, and probably has the most screen time of all the characters. She is also probably the most normal character, although she has lived a rather depraved lifestyle and is desperate to avoid conviction for her boyfriend's death. She gives a competent performance, but nothing that particularly caught my attention - to be honest, I spent most of the time looking at her dreadful eighties hairstyle that looks like a bird's nest, back-combed and covered in hairspray as it is!!

Julieta Serrano plays the Mother Superior, who runs the convent with a rod of iron, keeping the nuns quiet with drugs when necessary. I liked the performance, it is cleverly comic without being too over the top. The character I liked the most though is Sister Rat (all the nuns have weird names like Sister Manure and Sister Snake), played by Chus Lampreave. I've seen her in an Almodovar film before - Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown - but in this one, she is really quirky - so much so that it seems totally naturally and not at all over-done. Carmen Maura, another Almodovar favourite, also appears as one of the sisters, but to be honest, with the nun's habit, I wasn't entirely sure which one she was.

I think it is always dangerous to try and analyse an Almodovar film too much - I think that they are made so that the viewer can see in them what they want. I suppose for me, it is all about not judging people - no-one is what they seem and everyone, regardless of their profession, has secrets that they would rather others didn't know. The important thing though, is to watch it without too many expectations, and at the very least, you should enjoy it for the fact that it is totally mad. Expecting it to be thought-provoking may well lead to disappointment.

As always with Almodovar's films, the film is very colourful - the fact that it is set in a convent doesn't prevent this. Yolanda's favourite colour seems to be red and there are lots of colourful bits and pieces in the nuns' rooms, which surprised me, but does make it very attractive to watch. Towards the end, Yolanda gives a performance at the convent, which involves some very strange dancing, but also lots of floaty materials in gold and silver. There is also a lot of music - Yolanda is a singer and likes a type of Spanish romantic music. I can't say I particularly liked it, but it is interesting, and adds to the texture of the film.

There is one special feature - an introduction to the film by someone called Jose Arroyo - I think he is an academic specialising in film. Surprisingly, he speaks in English. It isn't particularly interesting, but he does talk about the religious aspect and why he thought that Almodovar went down that path. The film is, of course, in Spanish, but the English subtitles are excellent and I never once felt as though I was missing anything.

I did enjoy this film. It is highly entertaining, especially because it is never clear what is going to happen next. The ending, when it comes, doesn't make a huge amount of sense, but I didn't think it mattered all that much - some who like loose ends tied up may be disappointed though. If you haven't seen an Almodovar film before, this is actually quite a good place to start, because although it is mad at times, it is a lot less mad than some of his others! Almodovar, however, has apparently distanced himself from the film because he thinks it is too commercial. I would suggest not expecting it all to make sense and enjoy it for what it is. Recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99.

Classification: 15 (for scenes of drug-taking and suggestions of lesbian sex)

Running time: 96 minutes 

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