Bad Education (2004)
85%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A layered, wonderfully-acted, and passionate drama
Bad Education is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. But in this case, you’re definitely getting a lot of layers and subplots that keep you on your toes. The performances by Gael Garcia Bernal and Fele Martinez are top-notch, and Almodovar’s commentary on the church’s betrayal is both tragic and thought-provoking. It’s a film that’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for a little narrative playfulness and formal beauty, then Bad Education is definitely worth a watch. Just don’t expect it to be a walk in the park.
Production Company(ies)
O2 Filmes, Video Filmes, Globo Filmes,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD
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Runtime:1h 44m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama/Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
Bad Education, NC-17, Drama, LGBTQ+, 1h 44m, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, written by Pedro Almodóvar, produced by Agustín Almodóvar and Pedro Almodóvar, starring Fele Martínez, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lluís Homar, Javier Cámara, Petra Martínez, explicit sexual content, Spanish language, Catholic boarding school, transvestite performer, childhood sexual victimization, trauma, sexual orientation, layered, wonderfully-acted, passionate drama, critic reviews, box office gross of $5.2M, Sony Pictures Classics, reviewed by Will Self, Alan A Stone, David Ansen, Scott Tobias, Logan Hill, Roger Moore, Darren Frei, Richard Propes, Ruhaan Shah, Tom Dawson, Kelly Kessler, Gabe Leibowitz, audience reviews, Breaking the Waves, Open Hearts, My Summer of Love, Talk to Her, Sid & Nancy, rent/buy from $2.99, rent/buy from $3.99
Worldwide gross: $40,350,837
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $5,211,842
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Gael García Bernal – Ángel/Juan/Zahara
Daniel Giménez Cacho – Padre Manolo
Lluís Homar – Sr. Manuel Berenguer
Javier Cámara – Paca/Paquito
Petra Martínez – Madre
Pedro Almodóvar – Writer/Director
Agustín Almodóvar – Producer
Sony Pictures Classics – Distributor
Director(s)
Pedro Almodóvar
Writer(s)
Pedro Almodóvar
Producer(s)
Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (147) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (129) | Rotten (18)
The problem with the film is its very staginess — it never really seems to get out of drag. Between the impersonations of the priesthood, the impersonations of the transvestites and the impersonations of the actors themselves, there is little to choose.
January 9, 2018
Will Self
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
If Americans are allowed to see this film they may well conclude that the mature Almodvar is now ready to take his place alongside the great Buuel.
June 18, 2012
Alan A. Stone
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Like a Chinese box, it has layers under layers, fictions within fictions. A mystery and an intricate triangular love story, it’s also a tale about storytelling itself, the uses of art and artifice to make the unbearable bearable.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
In accounting for Almodvar’s identity as an artist and a man, Bad Education comes together like a bold and far-reaching summation of his career to date.
September 26, 2005
Scott Tobias
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
It still exerts an uncanny power: Like the best of Almodvar’s work, it throws you a first-love sucker punch that will stagger your heart, mind, and soul.
February 27, 2005
Logan Hill
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
Simple melodrama, a not-that-puzzling puzzle of a film noir.
February 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
[Almodóvar manipulates] reality into a passionate, masterful orchestration that begs an encore viewing.
May 25, 2022
Darren Frei
Out Magazine
A good portion of Almodovar’s success must be attributed to the performances of Gael Garcia Bernal in a trio of roles and Fele Martinez.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The voluminous subplots of Bad Education are never overburdening and help add nuance to the film’s commentary.
April 29, 2020
Ruhaan Shah
Film Companion
Few other films this year are likely to match this combination of formal beauty, narrative playfulness and heartfelt personal feeling.
April 18, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Tom Dawson
The List
Tragic story of church’s betrayal; adults only.
January 2, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Kelly Kessler
Common Sense Media
A dazzling autobiographical blend of Almodovar’s career, childhood, and adoration & admiration for the cinema.
September 25, 2009 | Rating: 85/100
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt…
Plot
When a filmmaker is given a semi-autobiographical script chronicling his adolescence spent at a Catholic boarding school, he is forced to relive his past and confront the trauma of closeting his sexual orientation in Bad Education.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Gael García Bernal in three different roles.
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