Femmes au bord de la crise de nerfs

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.

This Spanish comedy follows actress Pepa whose boyfriend, Iván, has just left her. What follows is a comedy of coincidences and mishaps. Pepa accidentally sets fire to her bed shortly before her friend Candela calls, she is worried because she has just learnt that her boyfriend is a terrorist and fears she will be arrested for harbouring him. Then Carlos, Iván's son, and his fiancée turn up to look at the flat, which Pepa is planning to rent out; Carlos had no idea of Pepa's connection to his father till he sees a picture in the flat. Things only escalate as Carlos tries to help Candela with her problem in a way that only serves to get the police to the flat; but not before Carlos's mother, who was recently released from a psychiatric hospital turns up.

If you want a realistic story this won't be for you; just about everything that happens relies on unlikely coincidences. For me this unlikeliness only served to make it funnier. The characters themselves are only slightly exaggerated; one feels that in more normal situations they would be ordinary people. There are plenty of laughs from start to finish; highlights include gazpacho soup that has been laced with sleeping pills, a visit to a lawyer who may be able to help Candela, and a rather different taxi driver. Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar does a fine job successfully takes the comedy to a high level without tipping into silliness. He is aided by a fine cast that includes Carmen Maura, as Pepa; María Barranco as Candela and a young, pre-Hollywood, Antonio Banderas as Carlos. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of farcical comedy; it is very funny.

These comments are based on watching the film in Spanish with English subtitles.

What I like most about this movie is the economy of it's writing and directing. There really isn't a wasted moment, nothing extraneous and that is what keeps the pace crackling and makes the movie watchable in every moment. It also has one of the GREAT ensembles ever. Carmen Maura as Pepa keeps herself on that verge for an hour and a half without ever really falling off the edge, it is a beautifully modulated performance. Maria Barranco as Candela is another performance that teeters on the edge of falling off into an emotional rubble but somehow manages to keep it together. Those two are delightful in every moment they are on screen. We can't forget Julieta Serrano as Lucia, the one truly crazy, post-breakdown woman in the story who brings a quality of self-awareness to her role that makes it a bit heartbreaking. She knows she is nuts and can't do a damn thing about it. And then there is VERY strangely attractive Rossy de Palma as Marisa, a virgin who needs nothing so much as she just needs to get laid to mellow her out. These women are all superlative, but Guillermo Montesinos as the Taxi Driver nearly steals the movie out from everyone and gives certainly the best male performance in the film. You have to see him to believe him.

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.