Talk to Her

Starring: Dario Grandietti, Javier Camara, Rosario Flores, Leonor Watling, Mariola Fuentes, Geraldine Chaplin, Pina Bausch
Directed by: Pedro Almodovar
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Dario Grandinetti) befriends a nurse (Javier Camara) who takes care of a woman in a coma.

Review:

Tim: I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her is as beloved as it seemingly is. The critical raving was immense, the film won an Academy Award and a host of others, and is generally regarded as a great film. While I always liked it, my estimation is that it's quality is a bit inflated in the eyes of many. These reviews are always hard to write. I liked the movie, enjoyed watching it, was perplexed and compelled by the story. I want to make sure that comes through. I also don't see what's so great about this film.

The story is a wholly unique one. It's hard to even properly describe. The main character is likely Marco, a reporter who forms an unlikely relationship/friendship with a woman bullfighter. She is seriously gored by a bull and goes into a coma. In the hospital, he meets an awkward nurse who is in love with a different coma patient. This is already venturing into unexpected, unexplored territory. The story takes a few uncomfortable twists and turns from there. I found it interesting that Almodovar certainly seems to approach these characters with an air of distance. He's not willing to judge them, even when it feels like perhaps he (and the film) should. That creates a few uncomfortable moments towards the end of the film, when the surprising story really ramps up. He approaches his characters with curiosity, which I like, but it almost seems as if the film is dismissing some fairly awful and despicable behavior. That part felt muddied to me.

The story here is undoubtedly the film's biggest strength. The Academy Awards recognized that, awarding this film the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. That rarely happens for non-English language films, so you know the writing here is something special. The film was also nominated for Best Director. Surprisingly, Spain chose another film as its entry for Best Foreign Film, which was not selected. In hindsight, that seems like a major mistake. I'm not sure if this would have beat Nowhere in Africa, but you have to think it had a chance. Now, I can see why the Academy would nominate and award the film the 1 Academy Award it did win, but again, I'm not sure the movie is as good as advertised.

The cast is certainly solid. I thought Dario Grandinetti worked well in the biggest role. He's not exactly expressive in his performance, but he connects well enough that you become intrigued by his character. Javier Camara was stunning as Benigno. There were times when I loved his character, times when I felt deep pity for him, times when I couldn't stand to look at him. Camara brings so much complexity and vulnerability to the role, it really is an amazing achievement. He's the most memorable aspect of the film, in my eyes. I wasn't as impressed with Rosario Flores. She was fine, but didn't do anything that really drew me in. The rest of the cast worked decently well, but with very few standouts.

So, solid cast. Great writing, unique story. Why don't I love this movie? The narrative felt a bit off to me. It jumps around a few times in a way that felt less compelling. We see scenes, then flip back to previous ones we hadn't seen. A few times it took me a moment to work out whether what I was watching was a dream or an actual event. I think Almodovar could have tightened up the narrative some. The movie eventually reaches a powerful conclusion, but it meanders too much in the middle. It could have used some more editing to decrease it's 1 hour 52 minute run time. I also wish the film took more a stand on the characters' actions. It almost felt like the film was dismissing some awful behaviors by the characters. They skirt around the issues, rather than confronting them. That felt like a missed opportunity and it made me uncomfortable, wondering if Almodovar actually did see something wrong with what Benigno does. Or, maybe he was okay with it? I didn't love the vibes the story delivered toward the end. The whole thing does feel a bit melodramatic, from beginning to end. I'm not sure the story ever felt believable, even though it felt unique.

In conclusion, I liked Talk to Her and it was quite a journey with these characters. There were brilliant moments, but it felt like the movie as a whole could have been better. I'm not quite sure what I would take away from this film. It was unique, but not as powerful or memorable as it needed to be. I know I was ragging a bit on Spain for not putting this film into Academy Award contention, but that's with hindsight. I actually understand the sentiment, to a certain extent. This movie is good, but I don't think it's so clearly great. It felt far too flawed to hit that point for me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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