Talk to Her
Encyclopedia
Talk to Her is a 2002 Spanish comedy-drama film
written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
, starring Javier Cámara
, Darío Grandinetti
, Leonor Watling
, Geraldine Chaplin
, and Rosario Flores
. The film won the 2002 Academy Award
for Best Original Screenplay and the 2003 Golden Globe Award
for Best Foreign-Language Film
.
The film's themes include the difficulty of communication between the sexes, loneliness and intimacy, and the persistence of love beyond loss.
In 2005, Time magazine
film critics Richard Corliss
and Richard Schickel
included Talk to Her in their list of the All-TIME 100 Greatest Movies
. Paul Schrader placed the film at 46 on his film canon of the 60 greatest films.
, only eventually meeting again at a private clinic where Benigno works. There, he is the personal nurse and caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma and with whom Benigno has become obsessed. Marco, a journalist and travel writer, is at the clinic to visit his girlfriend Lydia, a famous matador
who is also comatose after being gored by a bull. As the men stand vigil over these women, the story unfolds in flashback
s, giving details of the two relationships. Marco leaves Lydia when her previous lover informs him that they had reunited a month before Lydia's accident. He travels to Jordan
to write a tourist guide; while there he reads in a newspaper that Lydia has died in her coma.
Meanwhile, Alicia is discovered to be pregnant. Benigno, who believes his relationship with the comatose Alicia is a mutual love affair, is accused of raping her and is sent to prison in Segovia
. Marco returns to Spain and begins trying to help Benigno. He finds out that Alicia had awakened during or sometime after giving birth, but the baby was stillborn. Following Benigno's advocate's urging, he does not tell Benigno about her unexpected recovery. Desperate, Benigno ingests a large quantity of pills to try to "escape" and reunite with Alicia. He dies of an overdose.
Meanwhile, Alicia has begun rehabilitation to recover her walking ability.
The film ends with Marco, sitting two rows in front of Alicia at a dance concert, turning around and smiling at her for a moment, and then turning back around. The screen lists Marco y Alicia as the next act, implying that the two will become a couple.
Nominations
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
, starring Javier Cámara
Javier Cámara
Javier Cámara is a Spanish actor, most notably in the Pedro Almodóvar films Talk to Her and Bad Education , and the television series 7 Vidas ....
, Darío Grandinetti
Darío Grandinetti
Darío Grandinetti is an Argentine actor. Among many other films, he worked under the direction of Pedro Almodóvar in the Academy Award winner Talk to Her....
, Leonor Watling
Leonor Watling
Leonor Elizabeth Ceballos Watling is an award-winning Spanish film actress and singer.-Early life:Watling was born in Madrid, Spain to a Spanish father and a British mother, and has three siblings, with whom she speaks English. Her father died when she was a teenager.When she was a child, she...
, Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin is an English-American actress and the daughter of Charlie Chaplin.Chaplin first came to prominence for her Golden Globe-nominated role of Tonya in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . She received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman's Nashville...
, and Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores is a two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish gypsy singer and actress.She was born in Madrid, Spain as the daughter of Antonio González and Lola Flores. She is the sister of actress Lolita Flores and singer-songwriter Antonio Flores. She has a daughter with her ex boyfriend...
. The film won the 2002 Academy Award
75th Academy Awards
The 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
for Best Original Screenplay and the 2003 Golden Globe Award
60th Golden Globe Awards
----Picture - Drama: The Hours ----Picture - Comedy or Musical: Chicago ----TV Series - Drama: The Shield ----TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm ...
for Best Foreign-Language Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
.
The film's themes include the difficulty of communication between the sexes, loneliness and intimacy, and the persistence of love beyond loss.
In 2005, Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
film critics Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss is a writer for Time magazine who focuses on movies, with the occasional article on music or sports. Corliss is the former editor-in-chief of Film Comment...
and Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....
included Talk to Her in their list of the All-TIME 100 Greatest Movies
All-Time 100 Greatest Movies
"ALL-TIME" 100 Movies is a compilation by Time magazine featuring and celebrating 100 of the best films released between March 3, 1923 and early 2005...
. Paul Schrader placed the film at 46 on his film canon of the 60 greatest films.
Plot
Benigno ("benign" or "harmless" in Spanish) and Marco cross paths when they attend the same concert danceConcert dance
Concert dance is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and performed to set music.By contrast, social dance and participation dance may be performed without an audience and, typically, these...
, only eventually meeting again at a private clinic where Benigno works. There, he is the personal nurse and caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma and with whom Benigno has become obsessed. Marco, a journalist and travel writer, is at the clinic to visit his girlfriend Lydia, a famous matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
who is also comatose after being gored by a bull. As the men stand vigil over these women, the story unfolds in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s, giving details of the two relationships. Marco leaves Lydia when her previous lover informs him that they had reunited a month before Lydia's accident. He travels to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
to write a tourist guide; while there he reads in a newspaper that Lydia has died in her coma.
Meanwhile, Alicia is discovered to be pregnant. Benigno, who believes his relationship with the comatose Alicia is a mutual love affair, is accused of raping her and is sent to prison in Segovia
Segovia
Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...
. Marco returns to Spain and begins trying to help Benigno. He finds out that Alicia had awakened during or sometime after giving birth, but the baby was stillborn. Following Benigno's advocate's urging, he does not tell Benigno about her unexpected recovery. Desperate, Benigno ingests a large quantity of pills to try to "escape" and reunite with Alicia. He dies of an overdose.
Meanwhile, Alicia has begun rehabilitation to recover her walking ability.
The film ends with Marco, sitting two rows in front of Alicia at a dance concert, turning around and smiling at her for a moment, and then turning back around. The screen lists Marco y Alicia as the next act, implying that the two will become a couple.
Cast
- Javier CámaraJavier CámaraJavier Cámara is a Spanish actor, most notably in the Pedro Almodóvar films Talk to Her and Bad Education , and the television series 7 Vidas ....
as Benigno Martín - Darío GrandinettiDarío GrandinettiDarío Grandinetti is an Argentine actor. Among many other films, he worked under the direction of Pedro Almodóvar in the Academy Award winner Talk to Her....
as Marco Zuluaga - Leonor WatlingLeonor WatlingLeonor Elizabeth Ceballos Watling is an award-winning Spanish film actress and singer.-Early life:Watling was born in Madrid, Spain to a Spanish father and a British mother, and has three siblings, with whom she speaks English. Her father died when she was a teenager.When she was a child, she...
as Alicia - Rosario FloresRosario FloresRosario Flores is a two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish gypsy singer and actress.She was born in Madrid, Spain as the daughter of Antonio González and Lola Flores. She is the sister of actress Lolita Flores and singer-songwriter Antonio Flores. She has a daughter with her ex boyfriend...
as Lydia González - Mariola FuentesMariola FuentesMariola Fuentes is a Spanish actress.She usually plays tragicomical characters. She started to be known in 1997, thanks to her role in Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí...
as Rosa - Geraldine ChaplinGeraldine ChaplinGeraldine Leigh Chaplin is an English-American actress and the daughter of Charlie Chaplin.Chaplin first came to prominence for her Golden Globe-nominated role of Tonya in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . She received her second Golden Globe nomination for Robert Altman's Nashville...
as Katerina Bilova - Pina BauschPina BauschPhilippina "Pina" Bausch was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director...
as 'Café Müller' dancer - Malou Airaudo as 'Café Müller' dancer
- Caetano VelosoCaetano VelosoCaetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
as Singer at party as "Cucurrucucú palomaCucurrucucu paloma"Cucurrucucú paloma" is a Mexican Huapango song written by Tomás Méndez and introduced by Lola Beltrán in the film Cucurrucucú Paloma. The song also appeared in other movies, such as Escuela de Vagabundos, The Last Sunset, Happy Together, Talk to Her, and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done...
" - Roberto Álvarez as Doctor
- Elena AnayaElena AnayaElena Anaya is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995.Anaya is the youngest of 5 children. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Lucía y el sexo and also appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella .Her best-known Hollywood film...
as Ángela - Lola DueñasLola DueñasLola Dueñas is a Spanish actress.She is the daughter of Nicolás Dueñas and studied in the Institut del Teatre of Barcelona.- Selected filmography :*Los Abrazos Rotos...
as Matilde - Adolfo Fernández as Niño de Valencia
- Ana FernándezAna FernándezAna Ivis Fernández Valle is a Cuban volleyball player, and three times Olympic Champion as a member of the Cuban winning team in 1992, 1996 and 2000.-Individual awards:* 1998 World Championship "Best Spiker"-References:...
as Lydia sister - Chus LampreaveChus LampreaveChus Lampreave is a Spanish actress.She started in movies in 1958, but she became internationally known thanks to her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar, where she plays old ladies with maternal or pastoral traits.- Filmography :...
as Caretaker - Paz VegaPaz VegaPaz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
as Amparo (in silent film)
Awards and nominations
Wins- 2002 Academy Awards75th Academy AwardsThe 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
:- Best Original Screenplay (Pedro Almodóvar)
- Argentine Film Critics Association ("Silver Condor"): Best Foreign Film
- 2003 BAFTA Awards56th British Academy Film AwardsThe 56th British Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on 23 February 2003, honoured the best in film for 2002....
:- Best Film Not in the English Language
- Best Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayThe BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay is the British Academy Film Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. It has been awarded since 1984, when the original category was split into two awards, the other being the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted...
(Pedro Almodóvar)
- 2003 Bangkok International Film Festival2003 Bangkok International Film FestivalThe 2003 Bangkok International Film Festival was held from January 10 to 21, 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.-Festival program:A Bangkok International Film Festival was held in 2002, organized by Nation Multimedia Group in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand...
("Golden Kinnaree Award"): Best Film, Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar) - Bodil AwardsBodil AwardsThe Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by Denmark's National Association of Film Critics . The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in the Imperial Cinema in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe...
: Best Non-American FilmBodil Award for Best Non-American FilmThe Bodil Award for Best Non-American Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. This category was called "Best European Film" until 2001, when it became the "Best... - Bogey AwardsBogey AwardsThe Bogey Awards is a series of German film awards. The award is based on the number of people seeing a film within a given time frame. The prize is awarded by the industry's trade journal Blickpunkt: Film.*Titanium: Viewed by ten million people....
: Bogey Award - Cinema Brazil Grand Prize: Best Foreign Language Film
- Cinema Writers Circle Awards (Spain): Best Original Score (Alberto Iglesias)
- Czech Lions: Best Foreign Language Film
- 2003 César AwardsCésar Awards 2003The 2003 César Awards were hosted by Géraldine Pailhas. The winners and nominees were:-Best Actor – Leading Role:* Adrien Brody – The Pianist**Daniel Auteuil – The Adversary...
: Best European Union FilmCésar Award for Best Film from the European UnionThis is a list of the winners of and nominees for the César Award for Best Film from the European Union . The prize was awarded three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and was subsequently discontinued... - European Film Awards: Best Film, Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar), Best Screenwriter (Pedro Almodóvar)
- French Syndicate of Cinema CriticsFrench Syndicate of Cinema CriticsThe French Syndicate of Cinema Critics has awarded 4 prizes - the Prix Méliès annually since 1946 to the best French film of the year. The Prix Léon Moussinac, awarded to the Best Foreign Film category was added in 1967...
: Best Foreign Film - 2003 Golden Globe Awards60th Golden Globe Awards----Picture - Drama: The Hours ----Picture - Comedy or Musical: Chicago ----TV Series - Drama: The Shield ----TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm ...
:- Best Foreign Language FilmGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
- Best Foreign Language Film
- Goya AwardsGoya AwardsThe Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....
(Spain): Best Original Score (Alberto Iglesias) - Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationLos Angeles Film Critics AssociationThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
: Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar) - Mexican Cinema Journalists ("Silver Goddess"): Best Foreign Film
- National Board of Review: Best Foreign Language Film
- Russian Guild of Film CriticsRussian Guild of Film CriticsThe Russian Guild of Film Critics is a Russian organization of professional film critics. A member of FIPRESCI since 1999, the guild critiques Russian and Foreign films. Beginning in 1998, the guild began conferring annual awards in several categories...
("Golden Aries"): Best Foreign Film - Satellite AwardsSatellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
: Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language, Best Original Screenplay (Pedro Almodóvar) - Sofia International Film FestivalSofia International Film FestivalSofia International Film Festival gathers together in Sofia films, guests, stars, journalists and cinema fans. Featured in Variety’s Top 50 of cinema festivals, the event presents Bulgaria to the world as the host one of the important film festivals in Europe and takes place annually in March...
: Audience Award - Best Film - Spanish Actors Union: Performance in a Minor Role - Female (Mariola Fuentes)
- TIME Magazine: Best Film
- Uruguayan Film Critics Association: Best Film (tie)
- Vancouver Film Critics CircleVancouver Film Critics CircleThe Vancouver Film Critics Circle was founded to represent Vancouver's print, on-line and broadcast media and honours the best in Canadian and international filmmaking.-Award categories:International*Best Film*Best Director*Best Actor...
: Best Foreign Film
Nominations
- 2002 Academy Awards75th Academy AwardsThe 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
:- Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar)
- British Independent Film AwardsBritish Independent Film AwardsThe Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
: Best Foreign Film - Foreign Language - Broadcast Film Critics Association AwardsBroadcast Film Critics Association AwardsThe Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, commonly called the Critics' Choice Awards, are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Nominees are selected by written ballots in a week-long voting period, and are announced in...
: Best Foreign Language Film - Chicago Film Critics AssociationChicago Film Critics AssociationThe Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong...
: Best Foreign Language Film - Chlotrudis AwardsChlotrudis Society for Independent FilmThe Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a Boston-area non-profit organization that teaches audiences to view films actively through discussion, formal and informal education, discourse, film festivals, special screenings and collaboration. Their focus is on international and independent film...
: Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar) - David di Donatello Awards: Best Foreign FilmDavid di Donatello for Best Foreign Film-1950s-1960s:**Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George**Ray, directed by Taylor Hackford*2006 Crash, directed by Paul Haggis**A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg**Good Night, and Good Luck., directed by George Clooney...
- European Film Awards: Best Actor (Javier Cámara), Best Cinematographer (Javier Aguirresarobe)
- Satellite AwardsSatellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
: Best Director (Pedro Almodóvar)
External links
- Club Cultura Website for the film - Hable con ella (In Spanish - English and French options available)
- Review and discussion at kamera.co.uk
- Interview with Pedro Almodóvar about Talk to Her