Almodóvar still has his fun in The Flower of My Secret, but he is no longer just a child thumbing his nose at the world.

Though unlikely to gain the blessing of the Pope, the conversion of Pedro Almodóvar from romper-room decadence to something akin to adult drama may strike many as little short of miraculous.

Not since Fassbinder has a director so mastered the trick of using "corny" dialogue at once to heighten and to ironise everyday tragedy.

The Flower of My Secret is beautifully filmed and strikingly designed, but, more important, it is Almodovar's first attempt at a drama in the Tennessee Williams mode... it still shows a popular filmmaker challenging his audience and himself to dig deeper.