Broken Embraces feels like Almodovar's take on noir dramas of the 40s and 50s. Set in Madrid, it concerns Mateo, a former film director, now blinded and turned screenwriter.

He is trying to piece together a tragic episode in his past: his doomed love affair with Lena (Penelope Cruz), a would-be actress and the mistress of Martel, a domineering millionaire.

While using flashbacks and a labyrinthine plot, it is the sheer, gorgeous style of Broken Embraces which is so seductive; Almodovar conjures a vivid palette of colours which have the texture of something by Hitchcock, but his handling of the material is so confident and distinctive that it goes way beyond pastiche.

Dir: Pedro Almodovar Spain 2009 127mins Cert 15 Cast: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Jose Luis Gomez

Prices Venue: Ventnor Winter Gardens Single Ticket: £4.50 (£3.50 Concessionary) Concessionary tickets are available to students, senior citizens and the unwaged.

All VFS presentations (apart from special events) take place on Tuesday evenings and start at 7.30pm. There is a bar in the building and guests may take drinks into film presentations. All are welcome; you do not have to belong to the Society in order to attend.