Pedro Almodóvar: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios / Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), directed by Pedro Almodóvar. A wonderful, colorful film, shot with wit and style. The story, inspired by Jean Cocteau's short play La voix humaine (1958), concerns miscommunication in relationships, among other things. The role of technology is obvious: telephones, dub machines, TV, and vehicles; but more important are the differences between what we tell each other and what we tell oursleves.

We follow Carmen Maura as Pepa just after she's spurned by her longtime married boyfriend/lover, dapper ladies' man Iván, made especially complicated because they both work as professional movie/TV dialogue dubbers (a nice touch) at the same studio where she also shoots commercials. Iván has made the mistake of leaving personal belongings at Pepa's which he needs for a mysterious trip; much hilarity ensues as everyone tries to figure out what's going on.

In a surreal homage to Fellini's 8 1/2, Iván walks along musing about his previous escapades with women, chatting fondly as he passes them in sequence. New complication: Pepa is pregnant with Iván's child, but she only finds out after he has announced that he's leaving her. This is the situation that sets Pepa on edge, with more to follow.

The plot gets more complicated (but not so much that the viewer ever feels lost): Iván's estranged wife gets involved, and decides that the only way she can be free of him is to shoot him. Meanwhile, Pepa is conflicted about everything: she loves/hates Iván, and loves/hates herself, too. At one point, trying to be civilized about the whole matter, she decides: "I'm sick of being good." The plot thickens. Her friend Candela realizes that her most recent boyfriend is a Shiite terrorist who wants to hijack a Stockholm-bound plane from Madrid to Beirut, and she is frantic for help and guidance. On top of this, Iván's son Carlos (an excellent comic role for young Antonio Banderas) and his virgin fiancée have arrived at Pepa's beautiful flat to see if they can buy it once they're married. As it turns out, the family lawyer, "a feminist," Paulina Morales, is the woman planning to fly with Iván -- to Stockholm.

Besides colorful interior shots, domestic animals on Pepa's balcony, imaginative angles, and a tinge of surrealism, we are treated to domestic chase scenes involving "Mambo Taxi" and an "ancient" motorcycle. Carmen Maura is impeccable and carries the movie through with her excellent performance (and intense eyes and presence like Irene Papas). Of all the women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, her character Pepa is the one best able to hold things together, even after everything seems to careen out of control. Her motto: "Young people don't know how to fight for things." She is also the one whose character strengthens amid adversity and sometimes comic chaos.

Almodóvar's most recent film, Volver, has yet to reach Metro Detroit, but it looks quite good, too, and has already won awards in Europe.


Today's rune: Partnership.


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