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Talk to Her (2002)

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From Time Out Film Guide

Two strangers are seated next to one another at a Pina Bausch ballet in Madrid: Benigno (Cámara), a private clinic nurse tending to the comatose young Alicia (Watling); and Marco (Grandinetti), a journalist who, due to an encounter with bullfighter Lydia (Flores), will find himself visiting, months later, the same clinic. Not a word passes between the men as they watch the sleepwalkers on stage, but Benigno does notice the tears in Marco's eyes. To reveal more than the first few minutes of Almodóvar's purposefully meandering narrative would diminish your enjoyment. What at first might appear a beautiful, but insubstantial confection steadily grows into his most mature and richly rewarding film to date, alongside All About My Mother. Who today but Almodóvar could switch smoothly between profound emotion and ethical inquiry, high art and gags about bodily functions? Who else would digress with a pastiche silent movie that would never have been greenlit, yet bother (or manage) to make it spot-on in style (Murnau) and structurally essential? About love, loss, loneliness, doubt, desire, faith, forgiveness and the importance of honest communication with oneself and others, the film combines sensuality, spirituality and sheer joy in storytelling in marvellously harmonious proportions.

Author: GA

Time Out Film Guide

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Mark2you said...

Posted on May 12 2010 20:58 I've seen several of Almodovar's films - All about my mother, the latest with his muse, Cruz and Jamon, Jamon and this was the most satisfying. Strange, yes; intriguing yes; funny at times, visually capptivating and most of all entirely reminiscent of Spain for, an ex-resident.
The absence of silly background music but the use of absolutely fitting songs, the way he introduces ballet, silent film, live performance, many, many themes all intermingled in a fascinating way.
Watch it.

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