As Fi Bows to Peer Pressure

Now that I’ve mastered the “read more” button, I’m going to do a movie review of Hable Con Ella (Talk to her), a spanish movie by Pedro Almodovar.

I’m not sure I’d “recommend” this movie, it’s a great Almodovar film and is very interesting but I found it to be a little odd. I’ve seen quite a few Almodovar films now and I’m starting to see a pattern, but I definitely wouldn’t suggest anyone watch it as part of movie night.

(Only read more if you want to know the plot . . . it’s well worth knowing!)

The movie begins with two spanish guys (Marco and Benigno) sitting next to each other in a theatre, watching some type of funky modern ballet that involves crazy people running around a stage and making moaning noises. Marco cries, he cries a lot all throughout the movie, no matter what the circumstance. Months/years pass and we see Benigno caring for a young women in a coma in the hospital. He has been contracted to massage & clean & etc this girl full-time. It would appear to be a very odd job and I really hope I’m never in a coma, or have a friend or family member in a coma for a long long time.

Marco tries to interview a female bullfighter and they end up together, I can imagine that happening. Marco goes to his ex-girlfriends wedding (it took him 10 years to get over her) with female bullfighter (who likes weddings) and then they head off to a bullfight. During the bullfight, the female bullfighter gets attacked by a maniacal bull (surprise surprise). She ends up in a coma.

The main plot is the story of the two guys caring for their women in comas. Unfortunately, Marco discovers that his woman has been back with her old boyfriend for a month so he stops visiting her. Meanwhile it appears that Benigno is totally obsessed with his woman, and has been since before she was in a coma. He is convinced that he and his woman should be married, because they have a better relationship than most married couples. Marco points out that the woman is in a coma.

Someone rapes Benigno’s woman (you don’t see that, it’s not kinky like that) and the hospital and her family suspect him. Although you never definitively find out that it was him, this seems incredibly likely. He is jailed, waiting for trial. Meanwhile Marco’s woman dies while he is in Jordan writing for a travel guide. He goes back and discovers Benigno is in prison. He finds out that Benigno’s woman’s baby was a still birth and that Benigno’s woman has woken up from her coma. He promises not to tell Benigno because otherwise who knows what he will do. Benigno takes too many pills, so he can be in coma with his love, and kills himself. Sad.

Marco meets Benigno’s woman at the theatre and they eventually get together.

I told you it was an odd film. Oh yeah. There’s a kinky silent film in the middle. It’s very very kinky, and I would recommend skipping that bit when you get to it, should you want to see this strange movie.

Oddly, I quite liked it.