''Talk to Her'' (2002 film)- Review

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar
Released: 2002
Country: Spain

 Genre: Drama

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Review

Marco (Darío Grandinetti) is a journalist who falls in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a bullfighter. He is devastated when Lydia is injured in a bullfight and goes into a coma. While caring for Lydia in the hospital, he becomes friends with Benigno (Javier Cámara), a male nurse who is caring for Alicia (Leonor Watling), who is also in coma. Flashbacks reveal how Benigno first met Alicia and fell in love with her. The two men form a close bond but Benigno's obsessive love for Alicia eventually leads to unpredictable consequences.

Personally, I just could not bring myself to love ''Talk to Her''. There were moments near the beginning of the film which I really enjoyed, really admired, like the part in which Marco and Lydia first meet. Their chemistry there seemed really promising and I thought, like other Almodovar films, I would find in ''Talk to Her'' great chemistries between the characters. The major focus is supposed to be on several things: the friendship between Benigno and Marco and Marco's love for Lydia and Benigno's obsessive love for Lydia. Well, that focus seems fine to me but I would have really preferred a deeper development of the chemistry between Beningo and Marco. More interaction between them, perhaps. Or getting to spend some more moments with the two of them together. That would be how the characters would seem more real. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say that they are shallow characters. My point is, I just wanted the chemistry between the two people to be of such depth that when it came to the tragic climax, it would feel really heartbreaking. Well, I did feel sad and was moved by the tragic climax, but I wouldn't say that was anything close to heartbreaking whereas the climax is SUPPOSED to be very tragic. 

I love Almodovar's films. But my feelings for ''Talk to Her'' were nowhere near love. I didn't hate it, for sure, but that does not mean I liked it very much either. His other films- ''Volver'' and ''All About My Mother'', for example- have richly developed characters. For example, the chemistries between Manuela and Rosa, Manuela and Huma, Manuela and Agrado in ''All About My Mother''. They were all so very deep that I could not but love the characters and care for them. In case of ''Talk to Her'', there were moments and certain flashbacks which I really liked, but overall,I could not bring myself to care much for any of the characters.