Aging Spanish enfant terrible Pedro Almodovar, working with a glitzier budget than usual, does his utmost to be camp and provocative, which includes showing an extended rape of the title heroine by a mentally retarded convict strictly for laughs. There’s also a lot of satire about exploitative media, voyeurism, gender roles, and consumerism, but the plot seems so carelessly thrown together that you may not always be sure which side you’re supposed to root for. As usual, Almodovar seems much more sympathetic to his female characters, though this 1993 picture reportedly whipped up a lot of misogyny (and homophobia) in Spain: not every feminist would want him as an ally. The cast includes Veronica Forque in the title role, Peter Coyote (dubbed into Spanish), Victoria Abril, Alex Casanovas, and Bibi Andersen. 111 min. (JR)