Almodóvar & Kitchens: “Julieta”

Almodóvar must have spent much of his childhood in a kitchen, as he consistently elevates them to a starring role in his films. From the grotesque kitchen in What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984) to the sleek one in Pain and Glory (2019), the variety of kitchens in his work is striking. This is especially intriguing given that in traditional Spanish homes, kitchens were neither open-plan nor particularly glamorous. Almodóvar first ground-breaking kitchen was the one in "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" which predated Spanish modern kitchens by thirty years at the least. The fact that so many pivotal scenes unfold in these spaces is fascinating. There are some clues to his fixation: in the iconic Spanish cooking show Con las Manos en la Masa, Almodóvar once remarked, "En la cocina se pasa mucho tiempo y uno es incapaz de mentir... Ahí uno se sincera," which translates to, "You spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and there, you're incapable of lying... It's where you come clean."

I am a big fan of reds, bold prints and yes, I admit a bit of kitsch, so no wonder his kitchens always attracted me. If you look closely at his films with an eye out for food you can find both sensuality and repression. One of my favourite examples of the latter is the burnt chicken prepared by Gloria (Carmen Maura) “What have I done to deserve this” that seems to channel all the anger of the Franco years repression against women. This is one of my favourite Almodóvar films, dark, angry with a kitchen that could pass for a jail… so let’s turn our attention to the more contemporary and airy kitchens in a film like Julieta, his movie based on a series of short-stories by Alice Munro, which is nevertheless heartbreaking (you have been warned!).

"En la cocina se pasa mucho tiempo y uno es incapaz de mentir...Ahí uno se sincera" which translates as you spend a lot of time in the kitchen and one is incapable of lying there...that is where one comes clean. Pedro Almodóvar

There are many kitchens in this movie. The first one is Julieta’s minimalist kitchen in Madrid. Apart from some splash of red on the wall, the kitchen is not a cook's one neither is it the one of a gourmand. It has some planetary magnets on the fridge as the only concession to playfulness. Wine features prominently but there are no spices or pots on display. You can assume she eats out a lot (she lives in either Barrio Salamanca or Chamberí in Madrid) with the sustenance of wine and coffee at home. The break-up scene with Lorenzo, the Argentinian masterful actor Dario Grandinetti, occurs in the spartan kitchen, which serves as an echo to her empty life. The heartbreaking scene because he really does not know understand why he is he being shut out. Grandinetti is good in the role of soothing lover but Almodóvar missed out on all his comic strengths that can be seen in other movies like “Wild Tales”and “Despido Procedente” both Argentinian/ Spanish films. Just imagine Darío in one of Almodóvar more comic films like “Women on the Verge”. He would be perfect no?

Julieta’s kitchen in Madrid

The kitchen in Xoan’s house is a reflection of Galician family heritage. It’s not an expensive kitchen rather it feels like a Spanish 80’s kitchen with the frosted glass doors. If you look at the tiles, there are shells and fish. The shell is the symbol of Saint James, patron saint of Spain and Galicia where Xoan lives. It is in Santiago de Compostela where his remains lay. So the shell signifies Galicia, the Camino de Santiago, strong heritage, the simple seafood and the fishing that Xoan so loves and is his metier.

Xoan’s kitchen in Galicia

Next to the kitchen there are ceramic pieces from Sargadelos, the ultra famous Galician ceramic manufacturer. The pieces are immediately recognizable and Almodóvar has featured them in other movies like “The Skin within me” with Antonio Banderas, another movie that prominently features Galicia. I imagine the Sargadelos  pieces are wedding presents from Xoan’s first marriage or family heirlooms. The first time we see the kitchen when Julieta arrives in Galicia there is a “botijo” on the kitchen table. If you don’t know what a “botijo” is it’s an old-fashioned clay water cooler. I always associate it with a joke I was told when I was a little girl, that made me sad.

A father asks his child to bring him el botijo and the kid responds “Why Dad? Are we moving?”.

This joke is representative of post-war when Spain was a very barren and poor place. It of course implies that the botijo is the only possession they have.

I love this kitchen with the spectacular view of the sea, the blue tiles and the red patterned table cloth. There are knicknacks everywhere. It feels like there is a lot of life in the house. It is in this kitchen that Julieta prepares a “tortilla”, or omelette, a constant of the Almodovar recipe book, on the night that Xoan dies.

The third kitchen is close to my heart as it has a strong Andalusian feel. Julieta’s Dad lives in a small town and his kitchen is refreshingly white with masonry units. There are lots of colourful vegetables from the orchard and decorative curtains to hide the pots and pans. There are also a lot of preserves which you see a lot of in this movie but that in my Andalusian experience are not that common anymore.

Beatriz, Antía’s friend, has a beautiful and glamorous vanilla coloured apartment in Madrid. No wonder she ends up working for Vogue! The kitchen is modern and functional and has a uniformed domestic helper (a double cameo of the famous designer Elena Benarroch and her kitchen). The 90’s in Spain saw a big increase in domestic helpers thanks to Zapatero’s open immigration policy and the uniform was a requirement of the upper classes and its contenders. Beatriz’s mom has a tea set that although beautiful it does not really match with the modern aesthetics of the house perhaps a reminder of an aristocratic past.

Julieta and Antía’s kitchen in Madrid is the last one. It is painted blue and yellow and in it we find again the Sargadelos ceramics that were in the house in Galicia. One of the only material objects that Antía seems to have brought back from her last visit to Galicia. Once again, it’s a real kitchen and it looks lived in. It is one of the last scenes where we see the mother and daughter together which made it very poignant the second and third times I saw this movie.

Julieta & Antía’s kitchen in Madrid

As a small aside, note how Julieta’s cakes for Antía’s birthdays are never home-made like other more baking friendly countries like the USA. Julieta very likely bought the cakes in Mallorca, the most popular cake shop and cafeteria in Madrid as is customary in the city. We see 3 cakes: a framboise gelatine one, a chocolate almond one and a fruit and almond one. In Almodóvar universe all the food details are rabbit holes.

If you love the Almodovar Kitchen Universe as much as I do. Mei Chin, my Spicebags podcast co-host and I did a mini podcast about it.

Next up kitchens will be "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"