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Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
| image = Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name =
| director = Pedro Almodvar
| producer = Agustn Almodvar
| writer = Pedro Almodvar
| starring =
| music = Bernardo Bonezzi
| cinematography = Jos Luis Alcaine
| editing = Jos Salcedo
| production_companies =
| distributor = Lauren Films
| released =
| runtime = 89 minutes
| country = Spain
| language = Spanish
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The film brought Almodvar to widespread international attention: it was nominated for the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and won five Goya Awards including Best Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Maura. It debuted at the 45th International Venice Film Festival and was released on 11 November 1988.
Title
The actual Spanish title refers to an ' (attack of the nerves), which is not actually well translated as "nervous breakdown" ('). ' are culture-bound psychological phenomena during which the individual, most often female, displays dramatic outpouring of negative emotions, bodily gestures, occasional falling to the ground, and fainting, often in response to receiving disturbing news or witnessing or participating in an upsetting event. Historically, this condition has been associated with hysteria and more recently in the scientific literature with post-traumatic stress and panic attacks.Schechter DS, Marshall RD, Salman E, Goetz D, Davies SO, Liebowitz MR (2000). Ataque de nervios and childhood trauma history: An association? Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13:3, 529534.
Plot
The film is based on the French play 'The Human Voice' ('La Voix humaine', 1930) by Jean Cocteau, in which a desperate woman tries to avoid being left by her lover through a series of phone calls. In the film, television actress Pepa Marcos is depressed because her boyfriend Ivn has left her. They are voice actors who dub foreign films, notably 'Johnny Guitar' with Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden. Ivn's sweet-talking voice is the same one he uses in his work. About to leave on a trip, he has asked Pepa to pack his things in a suitcase he will pick up later.
Pepa returns home to find her answering machine filled with frantic messages from her friend, Candela; she rips out the phone and throws it out the window onto the balcony. Candela arrives; before she can explain her situation, Carlos (Ivn's son with Luca, his previous lover) arrives with his snobbish fiance Marisa. They are apartment-hunting, and have chosen Pepa's penthouse to tour. Carlos and Pepa figure out each other's relationship to Ivn; Pepa wants to know where Ivn is, but Carlos does not know. Candela tries to kill herself by jumping off the balcony.
A bored Marisa decides to drink gazpacho from the fridge, unaware that it has been spiked with sleeping pills. Candela explains that she had an affair with an Arab who later visited her with some friends. Unbeknownst to her, they are a Shiite terrorist cell. When the terrorists leave, Candela flees to Pepa's place; she fears that the police are after her. Pepa goes to see a lawyer whom Carlos has recommended.
The lawyer, Paulina, behaves strangely, and has tickets to Stockholm. Candela tells Carlos that the Shiites plan to hijack a flight to Stockholm that evening and divert it to Beirut, where they have a friend who was arrested. Carlos fixes the phone, calls the police, hangs up before (he believes) they can trace the call, and kisses Candela. Pepa returns; Luca calls and says that she is coming over to confront her about Ivn. Carlos says that Luca has recently been released from a mental hospital. Pepa, tired of Ivn, throws his suitcase out (barely missing him); he leaves Pepa a message.
Pepa returns to her apartment and hears Carlos playing Lola Beltrn's "Soy Infeliz". She throws the record out the window, and it hits Paulina. Pepa hears Ivn's message, rips out the phone and throws the answering machine out of the window. Luca arrives with the telephone repairman and the police, who traced Carlos' call. Candela panics, but Carlos serves the spiked gazpacho. The policemen and repairman are knocked out, and Carlos and Candela fall asleep on the sofa; Luca aims a policeman's gun at Pepa, who figures out that Ivn is going to Stockholm with Paulina and their flight is the one the terrorists are planning to hijack. Luca says that she faked being sane when she heard Ivn's voice dubbed on a foreign film. She throws the gazpacho in Pepa's face, and rushes to the airport to kill Ivn.
Pepa chases her in a cab with her neighbour, Ana. At the airport, Luca sees Ivn and Paulina at security and aims her gun at them. Pepa thwarts the murder attempt by rolling a luggage cart at Luca, before fainting. Ivn rushes to Pepa's aid and apologises for the way he has been treating her, offering to talk things out with her. Pepa, however, declares it is now too late and leaves. She returns to her home, which is a mess. Pepa sits on her balcony, where Marisa has just awakened. The women chat, sharing a moment of tranquility, and Pepa finally reveals what she wanted to tell Ivn: she is pregnant.
Cast
Reception
review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of 33 professional critics gave the film a positive review. Based on 12 critics, it holds an 85/100 rating on Metacritic, signifying "universal acclaim".[http://www.metacritic.com/movie/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'] 'Metacritic'. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 12 July 2013
The film is ranked #78 in 'Empire' magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" list in 2010.
The film was the highest-grossing Spanish film of all-time in Spain with a gross of 1.1 billion pesetas, surpassing 'La vaquilla' (1985), equivalent to US$8 million. It was also the most successful Spanish movie in the United States at the time, with a gross of $7.2 million.[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=womenontheverge.htm 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'] 'Box Office Mojo'. Amazon.com. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
Nils Gollersrud comments that "Almodvars signature formula of gaudy, ironic, genre-bending storytelling had achieved a symbiosis of sorts, presenting a more confident and satisfying version of his unique cinematic vision that his earlier, rougher films had not yet achieved".
Awards and nominations
United States
* 'Academy Awards'** Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
* 'Golden Globe Awards'
** Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
* 'National Board of Review'
** 'Won': Best Foreign Language Film
* 'New York Film Critics'
** 'Won': Best Foreign Language Film
** Runner-up: Best Actress (Carmen Maura)
United Kingdom
* 'BAFTA Awards' (UK)** Nominated: Best Film not in the English Language
Europe
* 'David di Donatello Awards' (Italy)** 'Won': Best Foreign Direction (Pedro Almodvar)
* 'European Film Awards'
** 'Won': Best Actress Leading Role (Carmen Maura)
** 'Won': Best Young Film (Pedro Almodvar)
** Nominated: Best Art Direction (Flix Murcia)
* 'Goya Awards' (Spain)
** 'Won': Best Actress Leading Role (Carmen Maura)
** 'Won': Best Actress Supporting Role (Mara Barranco)
** 'Won': Best Editing (Jos Salcedo)
** 'Won': Best Film
** 'Won': Best Screenplay Original (Pedro Almodvar)
** Nominated: Best Actor Supporting Role (Guillermo Montesinos)
** Nominated: Best Actress Supporting Role (Julieta Serrano)
** Nominated: Best Cinematography (Jos Luis Alcaine)
** Nominated: Best Costume Design (Jos Mara Cosso)
** Nominated: Best Director (Pedro Almodvar)
** Nominated: Best Makeup and Hairstyles (Jess Moncusi and Gregorio Ros)
** Nominated: Best Original Score (Bernardo Bonezzi)
** Nominated: Best Production Design (Flix Murcia)
** Nominated: Best Production Supervision (Esther Garca)
** Nominated: Best Sound (Gilles Ortion)
** Nominated: Best Special Effects (Reyes Abades)
* 'Venice Film Festival' (Italy)
** 'Won': Golden Osella Best Screenplay (Pedro Almodvar)
Stage adaptation
'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' has been adapted into a musical by Jeffrey Lane (book) and David Yazbek (music and lyrics). The production opened on Broadway in previews on 5 October 2010, and officially on 4 November 2010, at the Belasco Theatre. The cast included Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott, Laura Benanti, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Danny Burstein, Mary Beth Peil, Justin Guarini, de'Adre Aziza, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone, with direction by Bartlett Sher.Hetrick, Adam.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141520-Patti-LuPone-Brian-Stokes-Mitchell-Sherie-Rene-Scott-Cast-in-Broadways-Women-on-the-Verge "Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott Cast in Broadway's 'Women on the Verge'"] playbill.com, 26 July 2010
The production was a limited engagement that was scheduled to end 23 January 2011, but due to low grosses and ticket sales, closed early on 2 January 2011. At the time of closing, the show had played 30 previews and 69 regular performances.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146172-Broadways-Women-on-the-Verge-of-a-Nervous-Breakdown-Will-Close-Early Adam Hetrick, "Broadway's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Will Close Early" playbill.com, 28 December 2010]
The show later ran in London's West End at the Playhouse Theatre, with television star Tamsin Greig in the leading role.
Future
Television adaptation
In January 2022, it was reported that Apple TV+ will be adapting the film into a television series with Gina Rodriguez set to star and executive produce.See also
* List of submissions to the 61st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Spanish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
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