Week 6 (Part 2): Talk to Her (2002)

Before I get into the film itself, I want to preface by saying that this is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. Period. You don’t even have to like Almodóvar or be familiar with his previous work to enjoy this magnificent exploration of the human condition. I absolutely love it. I don’t even think I’m impartial enough to see anything wrong with it. It’s flawless. On that note, I think it’s the perfect film to end my cinematic journey into the canon of one Pedro Almodóvar. (For now).

For this blog’s fateful conclusion, we flash-forward almost a decade from Kika to find a very different Almodóvar. In these recent years, he’s shown a departure from his earlier genres and tones. Talk to Her feels different because it’s a more mature Almodóvar—one that’s aged quite well. 

Week 6 (Part 1): Kika (1993)

One of Almodóvar’s lesser known films, Kika is actually one of his best. My first impression of the movie was that, among Almodóvar’s body of work, Kika has been neglected. The grainy video quality left much to be desired (and this was a DVD). It certainly made me wonder why his earlier films had proper DVD releases (seemingly remastered) and this one was just forgotten. After watching it, I realized why. The ones with proper releases were well-received and although their subject matter was typical Almodóvar, they weren’t nearly as raunchy as Kika.

Week 4: High Heels (1991)

"According to the coroner, don Manuel Sancho died between 9 and 11 pm. During this time, three women visited him: with one he made love, with another he argued, and the third found him dead."

In High Heels, Victoria Abril (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) returns as Rebecca, a successful newscaster who tries to welcome her mother back into her life after years of estrangement. Her mother, Becky (played by Marisa Paredes), is a famous singer who puts her career before everyone else (including her daughter). Upon her return, Becky is introduced to her daughter's husband, Manuel. Becky has simply heard news of the wedding and has no idea who Manuel is . . . or so she thinks.

Week 3: Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990)

Antonio Banderas returns yet again. This time as Ricky, recently released from a mental institution and ready for love. His target is Marina (played by Victoria Abril). Marina is a former porn star and recovering drug addict now cast in a horror film that oddly mirrors her soon-to-be predicament with Ricky. Almodóvar has never shied away from metacinema in his movies. In the films reviewed so far, it has a subtle presence within the story. In Law of Desire, Pablo is a director. In Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Pepa is an actress. Yet while these details are easily dismissed as irrelevant, Marina’s horror movie and the on-set occurrences in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! are a little too obtrusive. The metacinematic aspects end up being distracting and there’s something a little off with the film as a whole.

2nd Teaser for The Skin I Live In

Video after the jump...

Week 2: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura return for another beautiful Almodóvar production. This time, Maura (aka Tina from Law of Desire) takes center stage – and rightly so. From the vivacious Tina to the clingy and miserable Pepa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Maura showcases her magnificent range (something Almodóvar surely could not have missed in casting her). In Women, Maura takes on a weaker role: a heartbroken woman prone to fainting spells and self-medication. But this isn’t some depressing drama on heartbreak. NO SIR. It’s a hilarious look at the relationships between men and women. It’s a light-hearted slap in the face of masculinity. It’s a telenovela for the big screen.