PEDROALMODÓVAR’SINTERNATIONAL
breakthroughfilmis anoddbeast:part1930s
screwballcomedy,part1960sthriller,andsetin
a contemporary,thoroughlyforward-thinking
1980sSpain.Likesomanyofthedirector’sfilms
it’sa storyaboutwomenandthemenwho
don’tdeservethem.Betrayal,abandonment,
attemptedsuicideandmurder,terrorismand
gazpachoallplaykeyroles,yetdespitethedeadly
seriousissues,it allworksoutintheend,inan
optimisticstorythatcontrastsonewomanand
herresiliencewithherfecklesslover.
Ourheroineis CarmenMaura’sPepa,a
voiceoverartistandactresswhohasbeendumped
byherolder,marriedcolleagueandlover,Iván
(FernandoGuillén).She’salsopregnantand
desperatetotellhimthenews,buthe’sdodgingher
callsbeforeheheadsoutoftownwitha new
woman.Meanwhile,Pepa’sfriendCandela
(MaríaBarranco)haslearntthatherboyfriend
maybea terroristandneedshelptoescape
conspiracycharges,whileIván’slong-incarcerated
wifeLucía(JulietaSerrano)setsouttowinher
husbandbackor,atleast,endhisaffairs.
It’sa tangledwebevenbeforeIván’sson
Carlos(AntonioBanderas)andhisfiancéeMarisa
(RossydePalma)cometoviewPepa’sflatand
discover her relationship with his father. Some ofWomen On
The Verge Of
A Nervous
Breakdown
REVIEW
JulietaSerrano
grabsthe
attentionas
Lucia.whatfollowsis classicfarceasPepatriestotrack
downIván,LucíatriestofindPepa,andCandela
triestofigureouthowtowarnthepoliceabout
herboyfriend’splanswithoutherselfendingup
injail.Marisadrinksbarbiturate-spiked
gazpachomeantforIvánandrethinksherentire
life,whileCarlosdevelopsa puppy-likecrush
onthepreoccupiedCandela.It allbecomes
occasionallysurreal—thesamemambo-themed
cabpullsupeverytimePepaneedsa ride,and
ourheroinekeepschickensandducksonthe
balconyofherchicpenthouse—and
surprisinglymelancholy.Iván,whois heardbut
rarelyonscreen,pullsstringsandshapeslives
liketheunseenCharlieofCharlie’sAngels. He’s
presentedassomeFellini-esqueanti-hero,
romancingandabandoninga stringofwomenin
a black-and-white,neardreamsequenceearlyon.
Hisvoicedoesthedamage,theseductivetonesof
anaccomplishedactorleavinga trailofbroken
womeninhiswake.
OriginallyAlmodóvarwantedDavid
Hockneytodesignthesunny,pastelsetofPepa’s
penthousethatformsthebaseforthefilm,but
therewasnowaythattherelativelyyoungand
untriedfilmmakercouldaffordit.Instead,he
settledfora consciouslyartificialpenthouse
overlooking a flagrantly artificial downtownTHE
MASTERPIECE
Wereassessthegreatest
filmsofalltime,one
film at a time