Summary
Talk To Her the 2002 Pedro Almodovar award-winning film set in Spain. Describes the lives of two different men joined by together by a twist of fate. Benigno a nurse has fallen in love with Alicia a beautiful dance student that frequents the studio in front of his home. Where Benigno watches he without her knowledge, one day she drops her wallet and he sees an opening to talk to her which he does and finds out where she lives. Later he finds out she is the daughter of a psychiatrist and sees this as an opening to be in her home. Benigno makes an appointment with her father the doctor; this session gains him access to Alice room. Sadly Alice sees Benigno and is frighten by him, shortly after it’s assumed that Alice has her accident that left her in the coma.
Marco a journalist, witness and interview of Lydia a female bullfighter on television and want to interview her. Lydia has just been dumped by the famous bullfighter and is vulnerable. Later Marco meets her in a restaurant after she has a fight with her ex-lover. He asks for an interview, she agrees only because it will make her former lover jealous, if he sees them leave the bar together. But in a twist of fate, Marco kills a snake at Lydia home this bring them together, after a short time become lovers. Unfortunately this love is cut short when she is mauled by a bull and put into a coma.
Benigno and Marco meet again at the hospital, where Benigno comforts Marco. Who doesn’t know how to cope with Lydia condition, he can’t even help turn her around in bed. Benigno teaches Marco how to care for Lydia; from this point on Marco becomes aware of Benigno unhealthy obsession with Alice. Marco cares for Benigno and warns him to not let anyone else know of this obsession. Unfortunately Benigno goes to far and has sex with Alice while still in the coma. Benigno is accused of rape and is sent to prison to await trial, during which Marco become aware of what happen to him and visited him, when he reads of Lydia’s death. Marco left Lydia’s side because her ex-lover returned and told him they had been together right before her accident. Marco has a terrible secret and is torn between telling Benigno because it may drive him insane, Alice is awake. Benigno can’t take being apart from Alice and in a failed attempt to put himself in a coma accidently kills himself. In the last scène during a dance performance at the same theater where Benigno and Marco sat next to each other which is seen in the beginning of the film, Marco connect with Alice and the movie ends.Theme
Communication or lack there of, is a major theme. All the characters even the minor ones suffer from being unable to communicate their feelings. Benigno struggles with his love for Alice both when she is awake, and then in the coma, even after she awakes again he still can’t talk to her. Marco and Lydia still have trouble with their relationship, as is later shown in the film while she is in the coma, he finds she was back together with her ex lover while with him. Even the minor characters have trouble, the scene where Marco first arrives at the prison to visit Benigno. He can’t understand the guard when she is talking; though this time it’s a physical barrier between them the message is not lost.
Another theme is loneliness, Marco talks about his ex-wife and how long it took to get over her. Lydia herself has just ended her relationship, but still has feelings for de Valencia. In an earlier scène El Nino is seen commenting that she only puts herself in danger for him, meaning that like anyone in love she will do anything to stay in love, including putting herself in danger to impress him. Benigno, who is portrayed as a shy and caring young man, tells how he took care of his mother, waiting on her hand and foot. Never really having a life of his own, only observing the world from his window just him and his dreams of Alice.Reaction
This film though at times slow, this was needed to build up the characters, if the film would have moved to fast, sympathy might have been lost for Benigno. Though the films deal with issue that everyone deals with more then once in their lives, it was done in clever ways that made it entertaining which is what a film should accomplish. To watch the film, causes response whether it’s shock or compassion for the characters; the director in not telling the story in a liner fashion achieves. Another interesting aspect of the film is flashbacks, which are actually described before they happened. An example is when Benigno tells Marco of how he first saw Alice shortly after the viewer sees the flash back. This helps the viewer to understand that that moment is very important to the film and should be remembered. Its understandable why this film has won so many awards and very favorable reviews by critics.
