Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
- Starring:
- Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, (more)
- Director(s):
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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Though the kinky characters and aberrant social behavior common to the works of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar are very evident in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the film is at heart a door-slamming farce in the grand tradition. The tiny apartment of pregnant actress Carmen Maura is the "Grand Central Station" setpiece for this dizzying tale. Distraught over her recent breakup with her lover, Carmen prepares to overdose on sleeping pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they'll go down easier. She is diverted from her suicide by her best friend Maria Barranco, a fugitive from justice (her boy friend is a Shi'Ite terrorist) who needs a place to stay. Later, when Carmen's apartment is empty, her ex-lover's grown son (Antonio Banderas) comes to the apartment with his fiance (Rossy de Palma) in answer to Carmen's "room to let" newspaper ad. The wife inadvertently ingests Carmen's "pill sauce," and as she blissfully snoozes, the husband inaugurates an affair with Carmen's friend Barranco. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 89 mins
Complete Cast:
- Carmen Maura - Pepa
- Fernando Guillén - Ivan
- Maria Barranco - Candela
- Kiti Manver - Paulina
- Jose Marco - Padrino
- Lupe Barrado - Secretaria Paulina
- Antonio Banderas - Carlos
- Julieta Serrano - Lucia
- Rossy de Palma - Marisa
- Agustín Almodóvar - Empleado Inmobiliaria
- Imanol Uribe - Marido
- Gabriel Latorre - Cura
- Director(s):
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Writer(s):
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Producer(s):
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Profanity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1988 - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - European Film Academy - Best "Young" European Film
- 1988 - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - European Film Academy - Best Actress
- 1988 - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - National Board of Review - Best Foreign Film
- 1988 - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Venice International Film Festival - Osella for Best Story
