Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown-Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988)

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar | 90 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano, Rossy de Palma, María Barranco, Kiti Manver, Guillermo Montesinos, Chus Lampreave, Eduardo Calvo, Loles León

‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ is a light-hearted film by Oscar winner Almodóvar. Although the director’s favorite themes return here, such as the impact of love and relationships and the emancipation of women, and there are familiar and interesting stylistic elements to discover, the drama doesn’t go very deep. It is a farce in which all kinds of absurd and accidental things happen, and which only has something to say between the lines. Not that this is a big problem. It is a film that proudly conveys its simple, yet amusing character. It is a pity that the story of the film is not particularly compelling, but the lively actors, the design, and the eye for detail that Almodóvar displays, keep the (attentive) viewer constantly enthralled.

Carmen Maura has to carry the film as Pepa and she does this just fine. She shows emotions like sadness, longing, and anger with ease, and often radiates a kind of sensuality. Also, her actions are sometimes funny. For example, she features in a comic commercial for laundry detergent, in which she plays the mother of a murderer who effortlessly washes the blood off her son’s clothes. Fernando Guillen is also well cast as a “womanizer”, a quality shown succinctly in a symbolic black-and-white opening montage by Ivan walking past a row of (ex-)mistresses from different countries, each with a smooth comment ready. And their collaboration, sometimes in isolation, on the Spanish dubbing of ‘Johnny Guitar’ – playing Sterling Hayden and Joan Crawford’s – is comical, but also romantic and dramatic in the way the words represent the real thing. represent emotions of Pepa.

The characters are usually fun to watch in action, but it’s also the little things in the set or costumes, or the camera work and use of color that keep the film interesting. Like the bright color palette Almodóvar uses, Candela’s espresso coffee pot earrings, or the nice close-ups and viewpoints, for example, of a bunch of tomatoes, an answering machine, and feet in high heels regularly passing by. But small events such as a ride in a “pimped” mambo taxi are also entertaining. It is all these elements together – characters, use of color, camera work, eye for detail – that add value to the brief story and make “Women” a pleasant pastime. Add a dash of successful girl power to that, and you have a successful film in your hands.