2003-03-17

When I saw Pedro Almod�var�s All About My Mother, I had gone into the theatre not knowing what to expect. I certainly didn�t know that it was about a pregnant nun who is impregnated by a transsexual. In fact, I didn�t know anything about the movie other than the fact that it was winning a lot of critical acclaim. What struck me about the film was its beauty, the fascinatingly complex storylines, and the wonderful grace of the lead actors.

Although I still think All About My Mother is a superior film, I was pleased to discover that Talk To Her finds Almod�var continuing in very good form, with another complex storyline featuring unusual people and even more unusual situations, beautifully drawn characters, and gorgeous cinematography and film techniques. In addition, Talk To Her features great performances from the lead actors, two of whom spend most of the movie in a coma.

The story revolves around two couples: Marco and Lydia, and Benigno and Alicia. Marco is a journalist who is supposed to interview Lydia, Spain�s most famous female bullfighter. They end up falling in love, and when Lydia is gored by a bull and falls into a coma, Marco spends his days and nights by her hospital bed. This is where he meets Benigno, a nurse whose only patient is Alicia, a ballet student who was in a car accident and is now also in a coma. The movie is not only about the relationships the men had, and have, with the women, but also about the friendship that develops between the two men.

There are several themes that recur throughout the film. Communication, or the lack of it, is one very obvious theme: the fact that one half of each couple is in a coma is a not-very-subtle symbol of the communication difficulties that seem to befall many relationships. The theme of imprisonment also comes up in many different forms, whether it is the women who are imprisoned by their comas, or a character who spends time in an actual prison. Finally, despite the somewhat grim-sounding subject matter, there is room for hope, which blossoms at the end of the film, and comes in a rather unlikely form, through an unexpected turn of events.

The actors are all wonderful. In particular, Dar�o Grandinetti plays Marco with a minimum of words, yet conveys so much emotional depth with looks and gestures that we feel we know him the best of anyone in the film. As Benigno, Javier C�mara brings a necessary innocence to the role, with just a dash of unsettling conviction. Leonor Watling, who plays Alicia, spends most of the film in a coma, yet through the very few scenes where she is conscious, we gain a fairly good sense of her character. Finally, Rosario Flores is the perfect Lydia: slightly masculine-looking, striking in her role as the bullfighter, yet vulnerable in her private life, with a complexity of emotion that lasts even after she is rendered comatose.

It�s difficult to write much more about the film without giving too much away. Part of the movie�s charm is its ability to surprise us. This isn�t a film for everyone�some may find it too slow, especially in the beginning�but if you have the patience to stick with it, it is a rewarding experience, and will provide plenty to think and talk about afterward.

Posted by polarcanuck at 12:24 p.m.

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