Pedro Almodovar's dynamic direction, shot selection and creative verve turns a simple story of obsession into a gripping feature-length drama laced with intrigue and black humour.
As with many of his films, Talk to Her is devoted to sexually ambiguous male protagonists. This is not the first time the female leads have missed out on extensive characterisation indeed, his ladies here spend the majority of their screen time unconscious in hospital beds while the men are intensely studied.
World-weary travel writer Marco forms a friendship with hospital porter Benigno when his matador girlfriend Lydia is critically injured by a bull. Benigno, an oddball who spent early adulthood tending his ailing mother, dedicates all his time to caring for another comatose patient, ballet dancer Alicia, upon whom he has a somewhat unhealthy fixation.
Much of the film explores the benefits of talking to brain-dead patients in the hope of channelling positive energy and triggering miracle recoveries, but this is far from inspiring, feel-good fare. Marco, a cynic, clings to Benigno's positivity as Lydia's life ebbs away, but remains troubled by Benigno's overzealous affection for Alicia. Eventually he retreats leaving Benigno alone and unstable in a uniquely precarious situation.
Through flashback, we learn how Benigno started to stalk Alicia shortly before the car accident that almost killed her. Now he is her constant companion, bathing her, dressing her even supervising sanitation during menstruation. Her father, a psychiatrist, is more interested in Benigno's sexuality and lack of social skills than any potential danger to his daughter after four years in a coma, he has reasoned that she will never recover.
The plot is peppered with neat metaphor, usually relayed through Benigno's frank revelations the most memorable being a black and white vignette about a magic shrinking potion. In fact, it is a testimony to Almodovar's mischievous style that he can include a scene where a man dives head-first into a giant woman's open vagina without relinquishing his 15 certificate. Actually it is this scene that is pivotal to the story. Faced with such overtly sexual thoughts, Benigno's already questionable motives for tending Alicia spill over into physical action, and what was once a quirky, off-beat tale of love and friendship, now becomes a powerful study of mental instability and serious crime.
This is tricky for the viewer to deal with for while we have previously enjoyed Benigno's disarming comic naivety, his sinister exploits make us feel duped and guilty.
But an Almodovar film is not meant to be a comfortable ride and while a lot of the credit must go to a nicely layered performance by Javier Camera as Benigno, it is the direction that lifts this movie above the mediocre. It is bursting with originality, and typical of Almodovar's style that the traditionally conventional characters (here represented by Alicia and her self-important ballet instructor) are ignored and even ridiculed, whereas the freaks and the miscreants are portrayed sympathetically and intimately the director is evidently fascinated by the workings of twisted minds and refuses to judge them. As a result, his films are witty, engaging and can never be accused of predictability.
8/10
As with many of his films, Talk to Her is devoted to sexually ambiguous male protagonists. This is not the first time the female leads have missed out on extensive characterisation indeed, his ladies here spend the majority of their screen time unconscious in hospital beds while the men are intensely studied.
World-weary travel writer Marco forms a friendship with hospital porter Benigno when his matador girlfriend Lydia is critically injured by a bull. Benigno, an oddball who spent early adulthood tending his ailing mother, dedicates all his time to caring for another comatose patient, ballet dancer Alicia, upon whom he has a somewhat unhealthy fixation.
Much of the film explores the benefits of talking to brain-dead patients in the hope of channelling positive energy and triggering miracle recoveries, but this is far from inspiring, feel-good fare. Marco, a cynic, clings to Benigno's positivity as Lydia's life ebbs away, but remains troubled by Benigno's overzealous affection for Alicia. Eventually he retreats leaving Benigno alone and unstable in a uniquely precarious situation.
Through flashback, we learn how Benigno started to stalk Alicia shortly before the car accident that almost killed her. Now he is her constant companion, bathing her, dressing her even supervising sanitation during menstruation. Her father, a psychiatrist, is more interested in Benigno's sexuality and lack of social skills than any potential danger to his daughter after four years in a coma, he has reasoned that she will never recover.
The plot is peppered with neat metaphor, usually relayed through Benigno's frank revelations the most memorable being a black and white vignette about a magic shrinking potion. In fact, it is a testimony to Almodovar's mischievous style that he can include a scene where a man dives head-first into a giant woman's open vagina without relinquishing his 15 certificate. Actually it is this scene that is pivotal to the story. Faced with such overtly sexual thoughts, Benigno's already questionable motives for tending Alicia spill over into physical action, and what was once a quirky, off-beat tale of love and friendship, now becomes a powerful study of mental instability and serious crime.
This is tricky for the viewer to deal with for while we have previously enjoyed Benigno's disarming comic naivety, his sinister exploits make us feel duped and guilty.
But an Almodovar film is not meant to be a comfortable ride and while a lot of the credit must go to a nicely layered performance by Javier Camera as Benigno, it is the direction that lifts this movie above the mediocre. It is bursting with originality, and typical of Almodovar's style that the traditionally conventional characters (here represented by Alicia and her self-important ballet instructor) are ignored and even ridiculed, whereas the freaks and the miscreants are portrayed sympathetically and intimately the director is evidently fascinated by the workings of twisted minds and refuses to judge them. As a result, his films are witty, engaging and can never be accused of predictability.
8/10