Hable con ella (Talk to her)
This is a film that was written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel. “Talk to her” was released in Spain on March 15, 2002, and can be categorized in the drama genre with a rating of “R”. This movie also contains an all star Spanish cast consisting of Javier Cámara as Benigno, Darío Grandinetti as Marco, Leonor Watling as Alicia, and Rosario Flores as Lydia.
“Talk to her” is set in Spain and has a plot that revolves around the two main characters; Benigno and Marco. Benigno is a young nurse and Marco is a middle-aged writer. These two men meet as a result of a chance encounter at a theater. After this encounter, they meet again at the clinic where Benigno works. Marco is there because his girlfriend Lydia, a bullfighter, got injured while working and is now in a coma, while Benigno has dedicated a large amount of his time to patient who used to be a ballet dancer and is currently also in a coma. As each men cares for his respective comatose woman, a strong bond of friendship grows.
As the story progresses, conflict ensues. First Marco is contacted by Lydia’s ex-lover and is told that he and Lydia had reconnected about a month before her accident. Marco is so upset by this he leaves to travel to Jordan and write for a travel guide. Within Benigno’s side of the plot, he is accused of raping his patient, Alicia, after it is discovered that she is pregnant. While in prison Benigno attempts to inducehis own coma by injesting a large quantity of pills, but instead dies of an overdose.
The irony in this story is that for a long time Benigno has loved and cared for Alicia and has only been punished for it. He waited a very long time for her to regain consciousness but it is only after he kills himself attempting to be united with her in a comatose state that she finally awakens.
This film contains a plot that is bursting with drama and emotion but it also offers a completely different aspect as well. This interesting other element is the dance performances. There are a few beautiful scenes that consist of performances by Pina Bausch’s dance company. This draws my attention immediately because I danced for seven years during my late grade school years as well as all throughout high school. I feel that the addition of these scenes gave the film a little extra kick, in my opinion.
“Talk to her” is very well known in the award circuit with 33 wins and 28 other nomination. The most recent accolade was received in 2003.
