With its melancholic and introspective approach, Pain and Glory is considered Almodóvar's most autobiographical work, covering issues such as artistic creation, nostalgia and redemption. The film, which won awards at various festivals including Cannes and the Goya, follows Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), a filmmaker in physical and emotional decline, who revisits key episodes in his life: his childhood in the 1960s in the Valencian town of Paterna, his intense relationship with his mother (Penélope Cruz), his first desires, a great love lost in the 1980s and his passion for cinema. By revisiting the past, Salvador confronts the pains and glories that have shaped his art and his existence.