Emma Suárez appears in a scene from "Julieta."

Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar doesn’t always hit the mark in his career that spans nearly 30 years of feature films, but he is never dull.

The man behind “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!,” “Volver,” and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” finds a nice groove with his latest film “Julieta.” This is a sleek little slice of Spanish soapy melodrama that gives you an engaging lead and a story with just enough mystery to remain interesting.

Emma Suarez plays the title character, a middle-aged woman living in Madrid who has settled into her life with her boyfriend Lorenzo (Darío Grandinetti).

But her life is turned upside down when she casually runs into the best friend of her estranged daughter Antia (Blanca Parés) and learns that she is living in Switzerland, married and with three children. 

This revelation leads Julieta to retrace her life and try to figure out why he daughter left her 12 years earlier.

Told mostly in flashbacks, “Julieta” is paced quite well –  with Almodóvar slowly putting the pieces to this puzzle together.

Even when the story sometimes veers a little too much into soap opera territory, Suarez’s earnest performance pulls it all back together. She captures the essence of Julieta, from young woman bristling with life to the worn down and emotionally damaged middle aged woman.

She gives “Julieta” the spark it needs to succeed, and gets you so emotionally invested that you will be wanting more when the closing credits arrive.

Starring: Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Rating: R for some sexuality/nudity

Playing at: Regal Hollywood Stadium 27 in Nashville

Grade: B