Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Movie Review 1988

Surreal and hilarious romp through the lives of film dubber Maura, her ex-lover, his crazed wife, his new lover, his son, and his son's girlfriend. There's also Maura's friend Barranco, who inadvertantly lent her apartment to Shiite terrorists and now believes the police are after her as an accomplice in an airline hijacking. They meet in a comedy of errors, missed phone calls, and rental notices, while discovering the truth and necessity of love. Fast-paced and full of black humor, with loaded gazpacho serving as a key element. Introduced Almodovar to American audiences. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Distribution

Orion Home Video, MGM, 2500 Broadway, 3515, Santa Monica, CA 90404-3036, Phone: (310)449-3000, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 88 minutes.
Originally from Spanish.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Black Comedy, Family Ties, War Between the Sexes, Sex & Sexuality, Women, Terrorism, Drug Use & Abuse, Madrid

Screenplay

Pedro Almodovar

Cast

Carmen Maura, Fernando Guillen, Julieta Serrano, Maria Barranco, Rossy de Palma, Antonio Banderas

Cinematography

Jose Luis Alcaine

Director

Pedro Almodovar

Music

Bernardo Bonezzi

Producer

El Deseo, S.A/Laurenfilm

Awards

N.Y. Film Critics 1988: Foreign Film.