Talk to Her (2002)

Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar

Stars:

Rosario Flores, Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti

Won 1 Oscar. Another 42 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Javier Cámara	...	Benigno Martín
Darío Grandinetti	...	Marco Zuluaga
Leonor Watling	...	Alicia
Rosario Flores	...	Lydia González
Mariola Fuentes	...	Rosa
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Katerina Bilova
Pina Bausch	...	Bailarina 'Café Müller'
Malou Airaudo	...	Bailarine 'Café Müller' (Dancer)
Caetano Veloso	...	Singer at party - "Cucurrucucú Paloma"
Roberto Álvarez	...	Doctor Vega
Elena Anaya	...	Ángela
Lola Dueñas	...	Matilde
Adolfo Fernández	...	Niño de Valencia
Ana Fernández	...	Hermana de Lydia
Chus Lampreave	...	Portera

Storyline

After a chance encounter at a theater, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia, Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been gored and is in a coma. It so happens that Benigno is looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia, a young ballet student. The lives of the four characters will flow in all directions, past, present and future, dragging all of them towards an unsuspected destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | female nudity | coma rape | coma | nurse | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for nudity, sexual content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Talk to Her

Filming Locations:

Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$964,098 (Spain), 25 January 2002

Opening Weekend USA:

$104,396, 24 November 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,284,265, 15 June 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Deseo,Antena 3 Televisión,Good Machine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 104 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Benigno is based on Pedro Almodóvar's close friend Roberto Benigni.

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Quotes

Marco Zuluaga: Love is the saddest thing when it goes away, as a song by Jobim goes.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits contain the following text: "El 7 de agosto, durante el rodaje de esta película nació Pablo hijo de Cova y de Juan y niño de todos.". This translates to: "On August 7th, while shooting this movie, Pablo, son of Cova and Juan and child of all of us, was born."

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Connections

References Cinema Paradiso (1988)

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Soundtracks

Cucurrucucú Paloma
Tomás Méndez (as Tomás Méndez Sosa)
Performed by Caetano Veloso
(c) Editorial Mexicana de Música Internacional
Courtesy of Peermusic Española, S.A.
By Arrangement with Universal Music Brazil

User Reviews

Perhaps Almodovar's greatest work

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.