Almodóvar has always been my best friend, first neighbor and that famous face from just around the corner. What he depicts in his movies coincides directly with my world. The characters he creates are something I absolutely recognize in different segments of daily life.
Movie “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” is perhaps his best movie, and I know that, it is the one the closest to his heart. However, his best friend, actress Carmen Maura, whose life served as an inspiration for the script, wasn’t thrilled when she saw her life being replicated on the big screen. Neither was actress Rosy de Palma happy when Pedro told with her that she was supposed to be sleeping during the majority of scenes. After the initial part, he added the so-called internal plot. That she should act what she has previously been dreaming about. Her character is a virgin woman, so her task was to reach an orgasm while sleeping.
How often do you find yourself in a situation that your friends don’t really understand why you love some movie directors or their movies? I have a theory that people who don’t love Woody Alen’s or Almodóvar’s movies have a serious control issue. They say that these movies make them feel uncomfortable or even disgusted.
Hm. On the other hand, these movies make me feel even more sure and they remind me where I belong. I love them and I treat them like childhood friends. The bigger the anxiety, the more emotions and happiness (I feel) that we exist just the way we are, authentically enhanced (the notion of authenticity has nowadays become quite problematic because there are only a few who are actually in touch with their true selves and do not strive to belong to a virtual trend like the others, who should instead be looking for their own personal truth, whatever that might be.
Inspiration for this movie was found in the French comedy “Human voices” from the 30’s, directed by Jean Cocteau, a monodrama where the plot follows a telephone call of a young woman talking to her lover.
In “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”, the main character (Carmen Maura) is TV actress which is dating her married colleague, TV director. Pedro and Carmen had a fight halfway through the filming, so the tension could constantly be felt throughout the shooting days.
When she realises that he has left her, she tries to take away her life by putting sleeping pills in her favourite gazpacho. This melodrama wouldn’t be as exciting as it was, hadn’t there been more surprises and twists until the very end. That’s when the audience could finally feel relief and peace, seeing two women in red dresses conversing quietly after a chaotic day, overlooking the night sky and rooftops of Madrid. In the background some lush vegetation and a song “Puro Teatro”, by the queen of soul of the 60’s, which adds a mix of a sigh and a scream “ay yi yi yi” to her every song.
Perhaps, the real life is not quite like the one on the big screen, but I prefer being part of that craziness. Why wouldn’t we behave the way we truly feel? Why do we constantly avoid uncomfortable and “over the top” emotions?
That’s how I came to “male vs female” experience of the world. Men tend to say that women are complicated and that we make a drama for now reason. Pedro finds his inspiration in that point exactly. He loves women precisely due to the drama only they can come up with.
The plot follows the elements of cheating, anger and waiting. A phone is seen as an object that brings restlessness. Gazpacho with sleeping pills represents the sweetest remedy for pain and it is served to the accidental guests, filled with evenly exciting drama motives. The taxi driver cannot avoid feeling the main character’s suffering in the back seat. He looks at her in the rear-view mirror, tries to console her but ends up crying himself.
A life full of life that we are not running from but letting it crush us to the ground. In bright colors, with a lot of flowers and music full of drama playing from an old radio.
It’s no wonder that this story has been adapted as a musical for theatre and has gained appreciation all around Europe.
