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

Victoria Abril turned down the role of 'Candela'

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Goofs

Pepa pushes the baggage cart at Lucia and it moves with a great deal of speed. However, in the next shot, it's obvious that the cart barely hits her, yet she falls as if it did.

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Quotes

Pepa: Hello. I'm the mother of the notorious Crossroads Killer. When my son comes home after one of his famous crimes, his clothes are just filthy.
[Pepa holds up a bloody shirt. The police arrive]
PolicÌa I: Where are the clothes your son wore...
PolicÌa II: At the time of the murder?
[Pepa takes a clean shirt out of the dryer]
Pepa: Right here. Sparkling clean.
PolicÌa I: No trace of blood.
PolicÌa II: Or guts.
PolicÌa I: Unbelievable!
[Pepa holds up a box of detergent]
[...]

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Connections

Version of Mia foni... mia poli (1996)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Almodovar at full throttle

Funny, outrageous, ridiculous, colorful and fascinating film by Almodovar--his most popular film in America (so far). The story defies description but, basically, it's about three women (an actress, a psychopath and one on the run from the law) who are all affected by one man. THe story starts slow, picks up speed and is barreling out of control by the end. Well-acted, beautiful to look at and never a dull moment. Just see it! You won't be disappointed. Love the cabdriver and his cab!