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'Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown' - Hispanic Cinema


Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown is a sort of movie that I find to be very amusing. It is one of those films that is supposed to seem serious with the events happening, but it is quite comical how they actually end up going about. In this movie, there is a man named Ivan who is the source to most of the problems. He is married to one woman who he has a son with. His son has a fiancee. Ivan also has a mistress who has a friend. The mistress knows Ivan from work, where they work in film and do the voices for some commercials. It begins with the mistress doing her recording and fainting, after a series of events and phone calls to Ivan, she goes home, has a cigarette and lights her bed on fire, she also rips her phone out of the wall out of anger, then realizes Ivan can't call her back if it's not plugged in. Then her friend comes over and tells her about the affairs she had with these terrorists, when Ivan's son and his fiancee show up to look at the apartment that the mistress is planning on renting out. Come to find out that it is Ivan's son. Later on in the night, the cops show up to talk about the phone call made from the mistresses apartment about the terrorists, who also arrive with Ivan's wife. The mistress had previously made a drink mix that had some sleeping pills in it, which she now served to the two cops, the son of Ivan and her friend, (the fiancee of Ivan was already asleep from the drink she had earlier) herself and the wife. She and the wife don't drink it, and they figure out Ivan is going to the airport with their lawyer. So there is a comical high speed taxi chase with a motorcycle and shooting as both the women are basically going crazy. When they get to the airport the wife tries to shoot Ivan and the mistress stops her, then faints as the security arrests the wife. Ivan comes to her side. She wakes up and leaves him because she wants nothing from him anymore. She heads back to her apartment where the fiancee of Ivan's son is waking up and she sits with her. As you can see, this movie has a few points that are supposed to seem serious, but the way that they are demonstrated and portrayed in this movie, just makes them plain comical. If you're looking for a movie that is random and funny, this one is perfect.

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I also liked it very much,one of Almodovar's best.

"Real English Stilton,Bug & Cow in perfect harmony."

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I saw it when it came out, not knowing about the director, and while enjoying it, really "got it" wrong. It seemed at the time that Almodóvar was parodying the "telenovela" genre. Only later, after seeing both his earlier films on video, and his later ones when they came out (he is one of the few directors whose films I always see the first day they show), I realized how much he loves the genre, and while he plays with it, adds more depth (and a more homo-centric perspective), he is never less than respectful towards it.

"Let there be songs, to fill the air" ("Ripple")

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It's a very funny and crazy film. Be sure to watch more Almodóvar films, but keep in mind that they're not all as comical as this one.

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Almodóvar is a Spaniard and his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a Spanish film.

Spain is in Europe.

This thread belongs in the European cinema board.










Snobbery is a form of romanticism, the chastity of the perfectionist

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