La fecundidad de la teoría de la novela para los estudios fílmicos: el género biográfico familiar en la trayectoria de Pedro Almodóvar

The biographical family genre emerged as a novelistic subgenre in the 19th century and has demonstrated remarkable productivity, expanding spectacularly from the page to the screen. Filmmakers such as Pedro Almodóvar have built their careers around numerous biographical family films, using this framework to explore a quintessentially modern conflict: the construction of identity in opposition to familial and national tradition. We propose that the coherence of Almodóvar’s filmography can be explained through his engagement with this novel-derived cinematic genre and his incorporation of innovative elements, such as the inclusion of strong, independent female characters and the infusion of magical symbolism associated with transformation. To support this argument, we will analyze six representative milestones in his career through the philological and hermeneutic tools of literary studies–specifically, the symbolic approach to this genre theorized by Mikhail Bakhtin. This method will also serve to demonstrate the continued relevance of novel theory for film studies.