This week (Saturday the 25th) will be the 35th anniversary of the premiere of Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. A film that marked a before and after in Spanish cinema and especially in Pedro Almodóvar (73), who became internationally known as a result of the film when he opted for the first of his five Oscar nominations.
Winner of 5 Goyas (film, actress, supporting actress, screenplay and editing) it was the seventh film by the Manchego director, and broke with the transgressive elements of his previous ones (Pepi, Lucy Boom and other ordinary girls, Laberinto de pasiones, Entre darkness, What have I done to deserve this?, Matador and The Law of Desire). Later, he shot another 15 more, which have brought him a total of nine Goyas, four Césars, five Baftas, two Golden Globes and two Oscars, among other awards thanks to titles such as High Heels, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Back or Parallel Mothers... but for many Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is the best of all his filmography.
The tape narrates a story of horns, of abandoned women, who find themselves in the luxurious penthouse in the center of Madrid. There lives Pepa, the protagonist, who spends the entire film pending on her landline phone (red) and the answering machine apart from her, waiting to be able to speak with her ex. An argument that today when communication is through mobile phones and watsaps, it could be difficult for the youngest to understand, but Almodóvar managed to keep the film current and fresh 35 years after its premiere.
The film discovered that terrorism could be Shia, that Jehovah's Witnesses cannot lie, that you can lose your virginity with erotic dreams, that gazpacho could be used as a throwing weapon and that "theatre, yours is pure theater". that La Lupe sang. He also popularized the Mambotaxi and made Antonio Alvarado's coffee pot earrings iconic.
Carmen Maura (77) led the choral cast of Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown The actress was the muse of Pedro Almodóvar but in this film they got angry and did not meet again until 18 years later in Volver. In those years, Carmen Maura has established herself as one of the best actresses in Spain and France, where she works regularly. Ay Carmela! o The community are some of her successes in her extensive career.
In Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, two of the women the actor appreciates the most also appear. Chus Lampreave appeared in almost all of Almodóvar's films, until his death in 2014. He also worked with Fernando Trueba, Fernando Colomo even appeared in two Torrente films, by Santiago Segura. Julieta Serrano (90) still active has an extensive career in film, theater and television and in 2019 she won the Goya for supporting actress for Pain and Glory.
For Antonio Banderas (62) Mujeres al verge de un ataque de nervios marked the beginning of his international career. On the occasion of the trip to Hollywood made by the entire film team after being nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film (it was won by the Danish Pelle the Conqueror), the actor stayed in California with his then-wife Ana Leza. Philadelphia, Interview with the Vampire, Desperado, Evita, El Zorro, The Expendables... are some of the titles he has starred in. Precisely his only Goya and his only Oscar nomination were playing Almodóvar himself in Pain and Glory.
Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown led to the discovery of three actresses. María Barranco (61) has been very present in Spanish cinema since then, although she always has secondary roles. Rossy de Palma (58), who has developed a film and fashion career in Spain, France and Italy. And Loles León (72) also has an extensive career in film, television and in the world of entertainment in general Father there is no more than one 3 and La que se avecina are his most recent works.
The cast of the film was completed by Fernando Guillén, Guillermo Montesinos, Kity Manver, Ángel de Andrés, Agustín Almodóvar, producer and brother of the director and who always appears in his films, and Francisca Caballero, who until her death in 1999, her son always he reserved a small role for her in his films.
