Hable con ella (2002) Reviews

• A fine, disturbing work of art about selfish "love."

  nlloyd502003-09-18

  I had a hard time getting around this movie right after seeing it. Something was not quite right, something disturbing. But after sleeping on it I think I have it figured out. I know people read these to find out if a movie is good or not. It is good. It's an effective piece of art which has an interesting and original inner voice. It's thought-provoking. But it doesn't leave you with anything to hang your hat on. You are not going to come out relating to the characters or situations. Not right away, not until you've digested the whole and figured out what part of it is universal to you. *spoilers galore* The key to Marco & Benigno's relationship is that they both don't listen to women - the title of the film can throw you off this trail a bit. They don't listen - and they don't want to. Marco didn't want to know that this woman wasn't really in love with him. After all, he swept in when she was on the rebound and he "knows desperate women" by his own admission - or does he not really know them, rather, always swoops in like this? That would explain a lot - he has a hard time with normal relationships. He likes a girl on the rebound, or desperate for some reason. He doesn't really want to cope with real love, he just want s his own thing. - He is selfish. This is not the way one loves. Love is something that is not for you, it is for the one you love. Does he then gain anything from his friend's problems & suicide? I don't know. But I think in the end that he doesn't. Maybe this is why it is a disturbing film. He is back to crying at this experimental dance. He has already gone back to traveling around on his own instead of leading a life with people. He is back to getting involved with a girl who has problems (girl coming out of a coma counts, I'd say). Meanwhile, his friend Benigno is the ultimate in "doesn't listen." He idolized this girl from afar, then found the perfect relationship when she couldn't communicate at all. But she was (communicating) - she was saying *nothing* at all, and he was projecting for her. He knew that, in fact, but that didn't matter to him. Finally, he rapes her under the pretense that she has actually been communicating with him, in the way he wants. Rape is, of course, the ultimate in selfish love. It is an act which defines how "selfish love" is really an oxymoron - it's not love at all. He feels his half of the relationship is enough to make a whole. This is the ultimate loner, I'd say. And we know he never learns, never grows, nothing. He ends up committing suicide. The ultimate in despair. One might say that Benigno was "good" b/c he had cared for this girl all this time. But that is not what "good" is. He is not caring for her out of dedication to his profession. He is not caring for her out of love. He is doing it b/c he needs it for his own selfish purposes - that is how he feels love. I suppose b/c that is what he had with his mother. So there is a reason, seemingly - his mother. That would be too easy, though, to just let him slide b/c of that. And to do so, one would have to project something not in the film - we never actually know what the relationship was with this mother. So then, it's not black & white, but still definite, I think, all reasons aside, in that he is not "good." In fact, I think he has severe problems. And Marco relates to him... Perhaps it's hopeful in that ultimately it lays the blame on the characters themselves and doesn't say this is some bigger, unresolveable problem. But from what I saw, it's still pretty depressing.

• Very beautiful and compelling, but perhaps not for every one.

  philip_vanderveken2004-12-03

  I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I watched 'Hable Con Ella'. All I knew was that it was directed by Pedro Almodovar, who is considered as one of the biggest talents outside of Hollywood. Well, he certainly has some talent. A talent to make movies that are not always easy to watch, but certainly thought provoking, beautiful, compelling and stylish. 'Hable Con Ella' tells the story of two men who are in love with a woman in a coma and how they both handle this in a different way. They meet each other in the hospital with a beautiful friendship between the two men as a result. Pedro Almodovar is some kind of artist who likes to paint with words and images. As a result you get a beautiful tale about obsession, love, friendship and desperation, which may not be to everybody's taste because of the bizarre subject, but which certainly touched me. It's very original and I would recommend it to everybody who isn't afraid to watch a movie with a special subject. I give it a 9/10

• A powerful piece of work…

  Nazi_Fighter_David2008-11-16

  In spite of being driven to the top rank of art cinema directors with his critically acclaimed sensation "About My Mother," and being unlike other directors of equivalent status who have been chosen to work within the rootless world of the international co-productions, Almodóvar has remained instilled in the rich culture of his native Spain… In "Talk to Her" the two main protagonists are men, unusually for Almodóvar, whose films have been notable for a succession of powerful and striking female roles… Benigno is a male nurse who is employed to care for a dancer (Alicia) in a coma after a car accident… At the private clinic he meets Marco, a journalist who is in love with Lydia, a female bullfighter also in a coma after being gored by a bull… They become friends and Benigno persuades Marco that he must talk to Lydia, even if she cannot hear (therefore the title). But then we lean that the likable and amiable Benigno has raped Alicia, the woman who is in love with her… European art cinema has a great tradition but an uncertain future in the world increasingly dominated by Hollywood… Almodóvar is an ornament of European culture which proved that the form still has much to say about the human condition and can say it with charm, elegance, and attractiveness…

• Talk to Her spoke to me..

  StephanieBowman2010-05-12

  The camaraderie of two men caring for women they love in comas is the center of Almodóvar's stunningly poignant film, Talk to Her. After recently viewing Almodóvar's stupendous film All about my Mother, I was anxious to see his subsequent work. While the films stories are unrelated the curtains that fall in the end of All about my Mother are present in the opening scene of Talk to Her; something audiences may not pay mind to if not watching in sequence. The film is filled with art; ballet is woven throughout and in the opening and ending scene. The Mise-en-scène is breathtaking, from intricate matador costumes, to the vivid colors, and a haunting somber score. Reminiscent of Almodóvar style the film ranges from a soap opera to immense tragedy. There is the highly melodramatic scene in which the women matador character fights with a talk show host, yet overall the film has a solemn premise. We see surrealism in a silent film within the film's peculiar sexual symbolism later ensuing in rape. The film captures Spain's time honored masculine Bullfight, yet there is a woman matador; stretching the mind's eye in regard to gender roles; aptly Almodóvar's grand craft. Almodóvar is also known for female cast compilations, yet the director changes course with the two men who share loneliness and pain provoked by passion. We see attributes in the male characters generally deemed feminine, namely: embroidery, crying, nurturing devoting. The bond that in the end unites the two men is that they share these abilities. There are numerous flashbacks which show how the men meet their now comatose women and the evolution of the relationships. The title of the film, Talk to Her reflects a literal meaning as well as broader premise of communication in relationships. "Nothing is simple" says the ballet instructor in the last line of the film, a comment on the complicated emotional paradigm of the story. Almodóvar's script is original and captivating, great acting with daring direction, the viewer is indubitably moved.

• Perhaps Almodovar's greatest work

  radonner2004-12-27

  There are many who say that "Todo Sobre Mi Madre" is his best film, but now that I've seen both these movies, I give the nod - by a long way - to "Hable con Ella". This is a masterpiece, and not just because of the poignancy of the characters, or the story in general, or the way the scenes are shot - watching the matador get dressed was quite engrossing - but EVERYTHING comes together so wonderfully. The brilliance of Spanish-language films never fails to amaze me, and this is another one in that long line of greatness. There will be times where the viewer may feel somewhat uncomfortable with the characters and their actions, but that does not stop Almodovar from exploring such emotions; indeed, one sometimes gets the impression that Almodovar's entire purpose is to make you analyze your own feelings - and simply does it better than anyone else. Recommended for anyone who can read subtitles.