ONCE upon a time, acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar was all about women, with Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her and High Heels.

But not any more, as his latest controversial piece (pictured) - in Spanish, with English subtitles - contains not one female character of note, focusing essentially on a core group of four men.

The shockingly red, white and black opening title sequence and jarring score bring no one to mind more than Alfred Hitchcock and, as the film progresses, it evolves ever more into a mystery worthy of the master.

It begins peacefully enough in 1980s Madrid in the offices of gay director Enrique (Fele Martinez), who is paid an unexpected visit by an old schoolfriend, Ignacio (played by Amores Perros heart-throb Gael Garcia Bernal), now an actor desperately looking for his big break away from the amateur dramatics of The Bumblebees.

He has brought with him a story he has written as a possible film script, entitled The Visit, which Enrique reads to discover that it gives an account of their early love and of Ignacio's treatment at the hands of the principal of their Catholic boys' school, Father Manolo (Daniel Gimenez-Cacho), who abused him (an autobiographical element for the director).

Interested, Enrique agrees to take on the project, but Ignacio will only relinquish it on the condition that he is allowed to play the transvestite character Zahara.

But given that this is an Almodovar, things are just not that simple, and the convolutions of the plot from here on in can make for occasionally confusing viewing.

There's a film within a film to digest, as well as the weight of the emotions being bandied about by all concerned, and this is where Bad Education scores highly.

It's about love, obsession, hate, regret, childhood, adulthood, confusion - satisfyingly overwhelming for fans of his work.

All of the principals give superbly rich but restrained (typically European) performances, especially Nacho Perez as the young Ignacio, who, as well as being bewitching to watch, has a beautiful voice to match.