30 Years of Almodovar's 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'

Pedro Almodovar is a wonderful director. His talent for insight and his strange sensibilities consistently surprise. This could not be more true of his 1988 farce, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which cobbles together elements of 50s rom-coms with the overheated dramatics of a telenovela to wonderful comic effect.

As the film turns 30 years old this weekend, November 9 to 11, it's as good of a time as any for a review of this work of fluffy comic strangeness which has since inspired a Broadway musical and a television series.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown stars Carmen Maura as Pepa, a voiceover and commercial actress whose lover, Ivan, is leaving her. This is complicated because Pepa is pregnant and has not yet told Ivan who is trying to avoid her as he leaves town. While she makes vain attempts to get in touch with him, she also has plans for suicide.

Pepa has a spiked batch of gazpacho she plans on taking but first she lights her bed on fire—perhaps by accident, perhaps not. Pepa is then repeatedly interrupted by her friend, Candela (Maria Barranco), who may have bigger problems than even Pepa. Candela slept with a shiite terrorist who has just been arrested and she's terrified that the cops will come for her next for harboring him in her bed.

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, Pepa has put her apartment up for sublet and a young couple, Carlos (Antonio Banderas) and Marisa (Rossy De Palma), have come on this chaotic day for a showing. Carlos also happens to be Ivan's son, a surprise that Ivan had never told Pepa about, that she stumbled over while stalking him.

Then there is Carlos' mom, a former mental patient and Ivan's ex-wife. She wants Ivan back or she wants Ivan dead, one of these outcomes will suit her desires more and I will leave you to discover which—it plays a role in the final act. When mom turns up at Pepa's apartment, alongside a pair of cops seeking information about the shiite terrorists, the film is flying at a wonderfully silly pace, perfect for classic farce.

I absolutely adore Carmen Maura as Pepa. Almodovar has stated in interviews that he wrote the part specifically for her and it is not hard to see why. Maura is an actress of fierce instincts who never lets Pepa's dignity slip despite the numerous assaults on it throughout the film. Pepa is depressed and emotional but she's not a victim. She's just a hot mess and she's acutely aware of it.

The other standout in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is Maria Barranco as Candela. Barranco is a delight as this flighty, nervous wreck who slowly begins to fall for Banderas' sweet Carlos who is smitten immediately by her, despite Marisa being in the same apartment. Marisa gets into the gezpacho and is out for most of the second half of the movie.

Almodovar's unique style is on wonderful display in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. His use of bright colors evokes the odd look of Spanish telenovelas while cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine appears to be having a ball, coming up with unique shots and exploring the space of Pepa's wonderful apartment

The ways in which Almodovar weaves the screwball 50s with the over the top melodrama of the telenovela—Spanish soap opera for those unaware—is sublime. These characters are all strong enough to work in either context effortlessly, especially Carmen Maura who can believably swing from suicidal depression to screwball determination to resigned peace without losing a step.

There is a wonderful pre-meta quality to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Ivan and Pepa each work as voiceover artists who dub the voices of American movie stars. Watch the way he uses this device to heighten emotion within the context of the lives of the characters. It's a wonderfully clever device that relieves us of exposition, allowing us important information about Pepa especially, that doesn't have to be spoonfed to us.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown turns 30-years-old this weekend and remains as vibrant and vital as ever, a brilliant work of comic cinema with great laughs and high quality craft. The film is the best demonstration that Almodovar's playful side is nearly as effective as his serious side.