Screening for Monday 19th October: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Country of origin: Spain
Year of release: 1987
Running time: 90'
Language: Spanish, with English subtitles

Pedro Almodóvar’s international breakthrough, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a farce built upon coincidences of mounting improbability, which bring the film’s various characters into unlikely but hilarious collision with one another. Pepa, an actress, is desperate to save her relationship with serial womaniser Iván. Tracing his movements, she stumbles upon another of his lovers, the deranged Lucia, with whom she discovers Iván has a grown up son, Carlos.

Carlos meanwhile is hoping to rent an apartment with his formidable girlfriend Marisa, in which context they turn up at Pepa's penthouse, unaware of Carlos’ connection with its owner. Meanwhile Pepa's friend Candela has troubles of her own: she's on the run from the police and is in hiding at the apartment. Chaos, masterfully orchestrated, ensues.

A film that is both hugely theatrical and richly cinematic, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown revels in the glossy, larger than life potential of cinema to be the purveyor of magic and dreams, not to mention nightmares. For sheer delerious entertainment value, it is perhaps the director’s most enjoyable film to date, full of sparkling wit and invention, relentless style and panache.