Broken Embraces
Harry Caine, a blind writer, reaches this moment in time when he has to heal his wounds from 14 years back. He was then still known by his real name, Mateo Blanco, and directing his last movie.
Working with a moderate budget of $18.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $31.0M in global revenue (+72% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Broken Embraces (2009) exemplifies carefully calibrated dramatic framework, characteristic of Pedro Almodóvar's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 7 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Harry Caine / Mateo Blanco
Lena
Ernesto Martel
Judit García
Diego
Ernesto Jr.
Main Cast & Characters
Harry Caine / Mateo Blanco
Played by Lluís Homar
A blind screenwriter haunted by his past as a successful film director who lost his sight and his lover in a tragic accident.
Lena
Played by Penélope Cruz
A beautiful actress and secretary who becomes Mateo's lover and muse, torn between passion and obligation to her wealthy benefactor.
Ernesto Martel
Played by José Luis Gómez
A wealthy, possessive businessman who bankrolls Mateo's film to keep surveillance on his mistress Lena, obsessed with control.
Judit García
Played by Blanca Portillo
Harry's loyal production manager and confidante who has cared for him since the accident and knows his true identity.
Diego
Played by Tamar Novas
Judit's adult son who works as Harry's assistant and driver, providing both practical help and emotional support.
Ernesto Jr.
Played by Rubén Ochandiano
Martel's troubled, voyeuristic son who blackmails Harry with hidden footage from his father's surveillance of Lena.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Harry Caine, a blind screenwriter, lives in darkness with his agent Judit and her son Diego. He dictates stories, isolated from his past life as film director Mateo Blanco.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Ray X (Ernesto Martel Jr.) appears at Harry's door, revealing himself as the son of the man connected to Harry's past, triggering the unraveling of fourteen years of suppressed memories.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Harry chooses to watch the behind-the-scenes documentary footage of his last film "Girls and Suitcases," actively deciding to relive his past with Lena rather than continue hiding., moving from reaction to action.
At 63 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Ernesto discovers the affair through Ray X's surveillance footage. Lena becomes pregnant with Mateo's child. The stakes explode - what seemed like a secret romance becomes a dangerous triangle. False defeat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 94 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The car crash on Lanzarote: Lena dies, her unborn child dies, and Mateo is blinded. The literal death moment - everything Mateo loved is destroyed in an instant., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 101 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Harry learns the full truth about the crash and Ernesto's role. Ray X reveals his father's manipulation. Harry synthesizes his two identities - he can be both Harry and Mateo, both blind and seeing., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Broken Embraces's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Broken Embraces against these established plot points, we can identify how Pedro Almodóvar utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Broken Embraces within the drama genre.
Pedro Almodóvar's Structural Approach
Among the 13 Pedro Almodóvar films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Broken Embraces represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Pedro Almodóvar filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Pedro Almodóvar analyses, see Live Flesh, All About My Mother and Julieta.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Harry Caine, a blind screenwriter, lives in darkness with his agent Judit and her son Diego. He dictates stories, isolated from his past life as film director Mateo Blanco.
Theme
Judit tells Harry: "You can't run from the past forever." The theme of confronting buried truths and the price of passion is established.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Harry's blind existence, his relationship with Judit and Diego, his writing routine, and hints of a mysterious past involving a woman named Lena and a wealthy man named Ernesto Martel.
Disruption
Ray X (Ernesto Martel Jr.) appears at Harry's door, revealing himself as the son of the man connected to Harry's past, triggering the unraveling of fourteen years of suppressed memories.
Resistance
Harry resists confronting his past. Judit debates whether to reveal the full truth. The narrative begins its first major flashback to 1994, showing Mateo Blanco directing films.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Harry chooses to watch the behind-the-scenes documentary footage of his last film "Girls and Suitcases," actively deciding to relive his past with Lena rather than continue hiding.
Mirror World
The 1994 flashback introduces Lena (Penélope Cruz), Mateo's muse and lover. She embodies the film's exploration of art, passion, and sacrifice - the mirror reflecting what Mateo lost.
Premise
The promise of the premise: exploring the passionate, doomed love affair between Mateo and Lena during the filming of "Girls and Suitcases," under the jealous surveillance of her benefactor Ernesto Martel.
Midpoint
Ernesto discovers the affair through Ray X's surveillance footage. Lena becomes pregnant with Mateo's child. The stakes explode - what seemed like a secret romance becomes a dangerous triangle. False defeat.
Opposition
Ernesto tightens control over Lena. Mateo and Lena plan escape. Ray X intensifies surveillance. The lovers' attempt to finish the film and flee together faces mounting obstacles and Ernesto's manipulation.
Collapse
The car crash on Lanzarote: Lena dies, her unborn child dies, and Mateo is blinded. The literal death moment - everything Mateo loved is destroyed in an instant.
Crisis
Mateo awakens blind in the hospital. He processes the total loss - his sight, his lover, his child, his film career. He retreats into the Harry Caine persona, refusing to be Mateo Blanco anymore.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Harry learns the full truth about the crash and Ernesto's role. Ray X reveals his father's manipulation. Harry synthesizes his two identities - he can be both Harry and Mateo, both blind and seeing.
Synthesis
Harry confronts the past fully, watches the completed footage of Lena, reclaims his identity as Mateo Blanco, and decides to finish "Girls and Suitcases" as a tribute to Lena. Art redeems tragedy.
Transformation
Harry/Mateo stands in his apartment, no longer hiding. He has integrated his past and present, his blindness and his vision. The closing image shows a man at peace with his broken embraces.