Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: The Chaotic Nature of Trying to Understand the Opposite Sex (or How to Find Peace in Disarray)
Written by Hasyir (Kru’23)
The nerve a male has to have to make this is astronomical and quite possibly impossible, yet Pedro Almodóvar delivers — the icon of modern queer cinema, the place of comfort in cinema for people in the LGBTQ+ community, the place where we can laugh, cry, and share our experience with well-written characters and superb storytelling that only Almodóvar can pull off for his stories are inclusive of all.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is the art of modern folks’ quiet turmoil, that is bursting on the inside, hearts full of contempt and hatred for one another. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is better than talking to people, because it is simultaneously about people and you, and you only, if you get what I mean. A spectacle on every level, beginning to end, oh how I wish it were longer. But still, it was the perfect length. The opening credits is something you Pinterest-mongers would definitely appreciate and enjoy, as it was a tastefully made collage by artist Juan Gatti, oh, and the music to pair, is just so well suited: Soy Infeliz by Lola Beltrán, meaning “I’m unhappy”, as to indicate what’s going to unfold in the next 88 minutes.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a film about a group of women whose problems have somehow interwoven with one another, one being the other’s lover’s lover, another being the other’s lover’s son, also one being the other’s lover’s son’s lover, and of course, another one, not involved with any of the women’s lovers, but a terrorist. The film shows how the events unfold in its silly and fun presentation with us on edge waiting to see what’ll happen.
Comedy is underrated, as in it’s rarely done right because most people never really mind or pay attention to a good joke. But Almodóvar hits the nail for every comedy he’s implanted into this film that is already gushing with so much life and character. Not to spoil you or anything, but at some point in the film there will be a woman in her 60s or 70s wielding revolvers in both her hands still grabbing her purse and a glass of gazpacho in one of her hands. Comedy when done well will always feel genius, no matter how, it’s as if we’d been deprived of a good genuine laugh for so long.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown isn’t just a one-trick pony that is a comedy with good aesthetics, no. This film is not without its merits, because let me tell you, while this film is shot and acted like the average over-the-top dramatic soap opera, the kind your mom, or rather mine, used to always watch on TV back in the day, here we call them “Sinetron”. May or may not be one of the greatest contributors to the supplier of my laugh chamber for the film but I could just recall some familiar and typical scenes from the soap opera my mom used to watch. Every time she put them on, I would either ignore it completely or get absolutely hooked, every single time it caught my attention it always had me sitting next to my mom asking how the plot got to that point just so I could catch up with the story. And these soap operas were always over the top, corny, cringey, and at worst straight up racist. I don’t love them, but they were great to make fun of and each time the jokes never get old.
And while this film is just as dramatic–it’s shot like a theatre play damn it–, this film knew what it wanted to be. Taking only the charm of the average soap opera and genuinely putting heart into it, its commitment to camp makes it so satisfying to watch, because as the film goes on it just becomes better and better — the comedy and ridicule of polite society and the embarrassment of toxic masculinity. The showcasing act of attempting even to comprehend one another, it’s as if both parties can be genuine in their attempts, but they would still be absolutely oblivious about each other–a facade, rather. Especially when it comes to the opposite sex, it’s very hard to understand them any better or even the same as with the same sex, leading to the struggles and questioning of one’s sexuality, where one may ponder as this signifies the beginning of finding their true self. While the movie told you neither discreetly or directly, I just feel its honesty in telling a story such as women getting worked up over other men as their anxiety just rises up over a period of time relatable, and somehow relates to that of identity.
One significant thing the film managed to stick in the silver linings, that I thought was interesting and relatable, was how characters handle stress– yes this film is very dramatic but how the characters react and act to certain events especially sudden ones is how I usually am when trying to handle problems– most of them being out of my control–, example: trying hard not to cry so people don’t ridicule you, throw out things just because you feel like it, bang on the wall, the table, but would never get mad or reflect on another person because at the end of the day, it is your own problem–it just feels nice that I’m not alone on feeling that way. These actresses killed it perfectly, I love them all! These women might have lost their minds but they looked gorgeous doing it.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown managed to make fun of both women and men and got away with it only because it was done so cleverly. Approach this film as a genuine soap opera, not a social commentary, and you’ll be having an amazing time. It is silly, fun, mind-boggling, and certainly absurd. It might just be one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen. Such clever script, settings, characters — Everything.
