Almodovar makes love to the camera

It’s difficult to dislike a Pedro Almodóvar film. He makes his love for the cinema and his actors so obvious that one has to really try not to be swept up in that admiration. With “Broken Embraces,” it’s all but impossible.

The film’s story is told by Harry Caine (the name is an Orson Welles reference), who was known as Mateo many years ago. Lena, played by Penelope Cruz, is a secretary who becomes the mistress of her rich boss. Mateo, who is preparing to direct a film, falls for her and makes her the lead actress in his film. Things are complicated by her jealous lover and an obsessive cameraman.

“Broken Embraces” is littered with connections to the past, from Hitchcockian suspense to a reference to the lamp scene in Godard’s ”Contempt.”But even more than cinema, Almodóvar revels in Penelope Cruz.

“Broken Embraces” is one of Almodóvar’s strongest and most accessible films. It’s a great way to end what has been an amazing decade for him.