Pedro Almodóvar, one of cinema's great auteurs, returns to his roots with his 20th feature, a seriously good female-focused study of love and loss.

Adapted from three short stories from the Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro (published online here by the New Yorker), the story follows Julieta, a Spanish classics teacher (played by Adriana Ugarte in the character's youth, then Emma Suarez in middle age) as she falls in love, has a child, and struggles to find redemption. We see Julieta, in 1985, on a train trip that leads to a death and introduces her to her future husband, then see the pair raise a daughter - then lose her. In 2015, news about her daughter reaches her: can she learn a little more about her anger, and reunite?

Almodóvar admirers will be in for a treat: his familiar use of blood red, the mournful jazzy score, the gorgeous cinematography, designs and costumes are all lush. He keeps you guessing right until the last reel - where there's a revelation that changes everything - and leaves you with a lingering reminder to not hold on to those we most hold dear.

• Performances of Julieta will be preceded by a screening of the short The Coat (Dir: Corin Sworn, Canada / Italy / UK, 2016, 6mins) - in which two travelling actors stop on a country road to clarify an old trunk gag but are interrupted by the discovery of two stowaways.
• Pedro Almodovar will be the focus of our September Sunday Brunches: another chance to enjoy Live Flesh, Bad Education, Talk to Her and All About My Mother.

---