Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
"Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios" (original title)

A woman's lover leaves her, and she tries to contact him to find out why he's left. She confronts his wife and son, who are as clueless as she. Meanwhile her girlfriend is afraid the police... See full summary »

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay), Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Stars:

Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 24 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carmen Maura	...	Pepa
Antonio Banderas	...	Carlos
Julieta Serrano	...	Lucía
María Barranco	...	Candela
Rossy de Palma	...	Marisa
Kiti Mánver	...	Paulina Morales (as Kiti Manver)
Guillermo Montesinos	...	Taxista
Chus Lampreave	...	Portera Testiga de Jehová
Eduardo Calvo	...	Padre de Lucía (as Yayo Calvo)
Loles León	...	Secretaria
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Policía I (as Angel de Andrés-López)
Fernando Guillén	...	Iván
Juan Lombardero	...	Germán
José Antonio Navarro	...	Policía II
Ana Leza	...	Ana

Storyline

A woman's lover leaves her, and she tries to contact him to find out why he's left. She confronts his wife and son, who are as clueless as she. Meanwhile her girlfriend is afraid the police are looking for her because of her boyfriend's criminal activities. They talk to a female lawyer, who turns out to be the lover's new lover, and everyone's path keeps crossing each other's in a very complicated and confusing manner.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide attempt | spain | apartment building | apartment | burning bed | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Filming Locations:

Estudios Barajas, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Gross:

ESP 1,165,305,406 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Deseo S.A., Laurenfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pedro Almodóvar and Carmen Maura's personal relationship was seriously damaged during the shooting, which Maura even defined as a "living hell". It took 18 years for them to work again.

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Goofs

The sheets move position (due to multiple edits) when Pepa throws the lit matches on the bed.

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Quotes

Pepa: That lady is dangerous.
Cabdriver: No lady's dangerous if you know how to handle her.

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Connections

Version of La voz humana: La voz humana (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Capricho Español"
By Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (as Rimsky - Korsakow)
Performed by La Orquesta Sinfonica de la Radio de Moscú
Conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (as G. Rozhdestvensky)

User Reviews

Very funny farce

Wickedly funny movie of actress who gets dumped by her lover, and how she responds. Full of zany characters and richly applied satire, and some great plot twists. Very offbeat and comical, your time will be well rewarded. This is an excellent movie for Americans to get acquainted, if you're not familiar already, with foreign films or directors. Directed by Pedro Almodovar. Highly recommended.