Talk to Her (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
2 men share an odd friendship while they care for their comatose girlfriends in 'Talk to Her', written & directed by Pedro Almodovar. After a chance encounter at a theater, Marco & Benigno (Dario Grandinetti, Javier Camara) meet again at a private clinic where Benigno works as a nurse. Marco is a journalist who can't seem to focus because Lydia (Rosario Flores), his bull-fighter lover, has been gored, trampled on, & put in a deep coma. Coincidentally, Benigno has dedicated his life to looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia (Leonor Watling), a ballet dancer. Her coma, too, was brought about by a terrible accident.
Benigno barely knew Alicia before her accident, but he loves her, cares for her, cleans her, 'talks to her', reads to her, shows her things (though her eyes are closed) ... and is convinced that she somehow cares for him. The 2 men become friendly while helping/visiting the women in their lives. Benigno encourages Marco to 'talk to Lydia'; optimistic that she & Alicia will come out of their comas. Marco is more grounded in reality. Both women are unlikely to awaken. But Benigno believes that miracles can happen. The intriguing lives of these 4 characters intersect at various parts of the film in past, present, future, and beyond. And it all culminates in an unsuspecting, unsettling, but curiously satisfying conclusion.
Almodovar's films (I've seen a few) are usually beautiful, haunting, weird & thought-provoking. They sit with you for a while (whether you want them to or not). And 'Talk to Her' is no different. The cinematography is bold (great use of color, great use of the human body, variety of shot, etc.). I liked how the colors in individual scenes are subliminally made to reflect the mood/tone of the moment. The screenplay is daring (ha, there's a scene involving a vagina that I thought was brilliant; but could definitely dissuade unsuspecting viewers). The attention to detail is great: bull fighting scenes, what it's like to nurse a comatose patient, etc.. And the aforementioned tone(s) of the movie: humor, tenderness, melodrama, melancholy, offbeat, macabre - are all quite different, but blended extremely well into the story. Nothing is extraneous. Everything has its place. And when all is said & done, the movie will have snuck up & quietly walloped you.
The actors playing these 2 men are something to behold. Dario Grandinetti plays the straightforward, no nonsense Marco. It's, perhaps, the easier role of the 2 men, but he just nails the portrayal. He's a man who's been scarred (in previous relationships), but begins to re-discover himself & heal his deep emotional wounds by talking things out with both Benigno AND the comatose Lydia. His last scene in the movie is just wonderful. Javier Camara is amazing as Benigno, the peculiar, kinda-creepy, ambiguous nurse who seems to have his head in the clouds (couldn't have helped that he cared for his bedridden mother for 20 yrs., as well). Benigno cares deeply & intensely for Alicia, Marco, & Lydia. But we're not always sure of the manner of that 'care'. He is naive, sweet, but extremely unnerving. So our sympathies really come & go with him. Great character & great portrayal.
And for the 2 actresses who have to act comatose for most of the film (and during lengthy scenes, at that) - they are often filmed in compromising positions (mostly Alicia); and it couldn't have been easy. Good job to all 4 actors for conveying such strong but differing views of loneliness. Loneliness, powerlessness, perverseness, obsession, love, loss, magic ... it's all in this movie. Some of that magic is in the incidental, but prophetic end scene. And so, in both smooth & complex manners, Almodovar has made the kind of unique movie experience that re-establishes your belief in original filmmaking.
Benigno barely knew Alicia before her accident, but he loves her, cares for her, cleans her, 'talks to her', reads to her, shows her things (though her eyes are closed) ... and is convinced that she somehow cares for him. The 2 men become friendly while helping/visiting the women in their lives. Benigno encourages Marco to 'talk to Lydia'; optimistic that she & Alicia will come out of their comas. Marco is more grounded in reality. Both women are unlikely to awaken. But Benigno believes that miracles can happen. The intriguing lives of these 4 characters intersect at various parts of the film in past, present, future, and beyond. And it all culminates in an unsuspecting, unsettling, but curiously satisfying conclusion.
Almodovar's films (I've seen a few) are usually beautiful, haunting, weird & thought-provoking. They sit with you for a while (whether you want them to or not). And 'Talk to Her' is no different. The cinematography is bold (great use of color, great use of the human body, variety of shot, etc.). I liked how the colors in individual scenes are subliminally made to reflect the mood/tone of the moment. The screenplay is daring (ha, there's a scene involving a vagina that I thought was brilliant; but could definitely dissuade unsuspecting viewers). The attention to detail is great: bull fighting scenes, what it's like to nurse a comatose patient, etc.. And the aforementioned tone(s) of the movie: humor, tenderness, melodrama, melancholy, offbeat, macabre - are all quite different, but blended extremely well into the story. Nothing is extraneous. Everything has its place. And when all is said & done, the movie will have snuck up & quietly walloped you.
The actors playing these 2 men are something to behold. Dario Grandinetti plays the straightforward, no nonsense Marco. It's, perhaps, the easier role of the 2 men, but he just nails the portrayal. He's a man who's been scarred (in previous relationships), but begins to re-discover himself & heal his deep emotional wounds by talking things out with both Benigno AND the comatose Lydia. His last scene in the movie is just wonderful. Javier Camara is amazing as Benigno, the peculiar, kinda-creepy, ambiguous nurse who seems to have his head in the clouds (couldn't have helped that he cared for his bedridden mother for 20 yrs., as well). Benigno cares deeply & intensely for Alicia, Marco, & Lydia. But we're not always sure of the manner of that 'care'. He is naive, sweet, but extremely unnerving. So our sympathies really come & go with him. Great character & great portrayal.
And for the 2 actresses who have to act comatose for most of the film (and during lengthy scenes, at that) - they are often filmed in compromising positions (mostly Alicia); and it couldn't have been easy. Good job to all 4 actors for conveying such strong but differing views of loneliness. Loneliness, powerlessness, perverseness, obsession, love, loss, magic ... it's all in this movie. Some of that magic is in the incidental, but prophetic end scene. And so, in both smooth & complex manners, Almodovar has made the kind of unique movie experience that re-establishes your belief in original filmmaking.