Mulheres à Beira de um Ataque de Nervos

I have seen several Almodovar films and this is far and away my favorite. The acting is marvelous in the original Spanish, especially Maria Barranco as Candela, and a young Antonio Banderas in his pre-US fame days. However, if you obtain the DVD version of this movie, resist the temptation to use the English-dubbed soundtrack. Sadly, the English version is just not funny. The readings are flat and uninspired, and the translation is not always accurate; too literal in some cases, just missing the point in others. It appears that the English dialog was written more for a close match with the lip movements than for precise translation. Instead, use the Castilian Spanish audio track and savor the beautiful performances. If you don't understand the language, read the English subtitles, which are more appropriately translated, and still enjoy the original.

What does spiked gazpacho, a suitcase, and a crazy woman with a gun have in common? Not much, at first glance, unless you are in the head of director Pedro Almodovar. In his film Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, Pedro mixes apparently unconnected objects and events that make no sense until the film is over. His direction and distinct style combined with good actors makes a movie as unforgettable as it is foreign. The basic plot deals with one day in the life of Pepa Marcos, played by Carmen Maura. During the day, we meet her lover, Ivan, who has a son, Carlos, whose girlfriend is Marisa, but like his father, Carlos is not loyal to Marisa but would rather kiss whoever walk in front of him, like Candela, Pepa's friend. All of the opposing motives create and tense mood, but besides everything is seems that Pepa knows what is going on and only worries about Ivan. The main subject is the destructive cycle of machismo and the women that are trapped by it. There are three girls and have fallen in love with one man that really doesn't love any of them, but only as temporary lovers. The tragedy is that the women don't realize this except Pepa who ends her relationships with Ivan. Even though she doesn't love Ivan anymore, we see with her conversation with Marisa, that she has not given up her love for machismo, but that she wants the telephone repairman. In my opinion, what makes this film good is the direction by Almodovar. I have never seen a style so distinct and interesting like his. The settings are familiar, but at the same time the colors create another world, like the world of Oz. One scene that captures this is when Pepa talks with Lucia on the phone and we can only see their faces and bright backgrounds. This is just a small example, but the attention to detail is the most important job to a director, and Almodovar has done it well. I recommend the move to anyone that wants to try something new, even though it was filmed in 1988. I think that anyone can relate to at least one role, especially because of the great acting. The film could give us a new look on our concept of love while keeping an open mind.

An interesting Spanish comedy, the film's humour is derived mostly from the events being so absurd. Some aspects are overly ridiculous, but it is still very entertaining stuff, executed in a lively manner with an appropriately fast pace and suitable music choices. It is constantly interesting on a visual level, with vibrant colours, creative camera angles, and a lot of framing and close-up shots. The action is a bit frantic and the plot is a little too convoluted, but the film maintains an almost fantasy-like atmosphere, in which it feels like anything is possible, and this quality makes it an enjoyable, unique watch. It is hard to say if Almodóvar is trying to say anything at all here, as there are some ideas raised about consequences that are not explored in much depth. Still, the originality of it all keeps it afloat, and it is certainly quite an unusual (in a positive sense) cinematic experience.

This is in my opinion the greatest Almodovar film ever! Its funny and serious, but mainly farscical, but its brilliant. Carmen Maura steals the show as a woman close to the edge, but her performance is fully backed up by all the rest of the cast. Antonio Banderas performance is excellent as a geeky young man, with his girlfriend and mother also shining. It combines all the elements of American comedy of the sixties but brings it back at us with a touch of latin spirit. This film in my opinion is a gem, for anyone who wants to laugh!

The title, 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown', tells exactly what this movie is about. A couple of women who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The film has the form of a soap opera although it combines many genres; in the end it is just a terrific comedy.

One of the women is Pepa (Carmen Maura), an actress. An actor, Iván (Fernando Guillén), was her lover but now he has left her. Before he leaves town she needs to speak to him and that is one of her goals the entire film. Another woman is Candela (María Barranco). She is almost losing it because her boyfriend is an arrested terrorist. She fears her name will be mentioned and she will be arrested. We also meet Iván's ex-wife Lucía who is a little mad with Pepa since she was her ex-husband's lover. Iván's son Carlos (a young Antonio Banderas) visits Pepa's apartment together with his wife because they are interested in renting it. Other women including a lawyer called Paulina Morales (Kiti Manver), a couple of police officers and a cabdriver are also central characters.

Somehow all these characters with their own story lines come together somewhere in the movie. In the beginning it is a little hard to keep track, although director Pedro Almodóvar keeps things pretty organized with his soap opera approach. The film is comedy all the time but it has dramatic moments, thriller moments, action moments including a chase, crime moments, and even a western moment in a sublime touch when two women are face to face, both with a drink, instead of guns, in their hand.

Director Pedro Almodóvar, who has made the critically acclaimed 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre' ('All About My Mother') and 'Hable con Ella' ('Talk to Her'), here already shows us how gifted he is as a writer and as a director. He knows that comedy can be found in all things, including sad things like lost love and suicide. Instead of trying to create funny moments he just gives us a couple of characters in a room and trusts that their way of living is funny enough for an audience to like it. As with the two movies I mentioned earlier 'Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios' is a terrific example.