'Pain and Glory' tells the story of director Salvador Malo (Antonio Banderas, 'The Mask of Zorro'), for whom the pressure over not having shot a film in years increases as a remastered version of his biggest hit is prepared for cinemas. Dependent on various substances, Salvador frequently considers his revisits the confusion of his childhood in Valencia with his mother, Jacinta (Penélope Cruz, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'), when high.

Tensions worsen when Salvador discovers that the restoration of his successful film, 'Sabor', will bring him back into contact with his former best friend and the film's leading actor, Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia, 'Velvet'), for the first time since they fell out over Crespo's performance in the film years earlier. Crespo is not the only ghost to return from Salvador's past, however, as Salvador's first love, Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia, 'Félix'), returns married to a woman and evoking memories of love and lust that Salvador had thought was lost between them.

Salvador must confront the reality of both his past and his present if he wants to truly overcome the creative block that has hindered his career for years.

'Pain and Glory' is written and directed by the iconic Spanish filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar ('All About My Mother', 'Volver', 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown').