Esteemed Spanish director Pedro Almadóvar returns this winter with his latest creation “Bad Education.” Starring Gael García Bernal (“Motorcycle Diaries,” “Y Tu Mamá También”) and Fele Martínez as two Catholic schoolmates, the film shuffles between the Franco and post-Franco eras in Spain, while simultaneously jumping through a series of unfortunate events. The two schoolboys are reunited when Ignacio (Bernal) presents his childhood friend, Enrique (Martinez), now a successful director, with a script based on their childhood. The script, a loosely autobiographical account of the abuse they both suffered at school, is soon taken on board with Enrique as director. It is at this point that imagination becomes blurred with the harsh realities they boys endured.

Much Oscar buzz is expected with Almadóvar’s newest work, as the film has already garnered talk among critics for its combination of film noir and Hitchcock.