Director
Pedro Almodóvar
Leading Actors/Actresses
Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Fernando Guillén, Kiti Mánver
Genre
Comedy-Drama
Language
Spanish
Awards
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1988, and won the Goya award for best film.
Date of Release
16 June 1989
Producer
Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
Setting and Context
Set in the 1980s, most of the film is set in Pepa's apartment, but events also take place in other settings like the airport.
Narrator and Point of View
The protagonist is Pepa, so as an audience we often see things from her perspective.
Tone and Mood
The film is dramatic and comedic in some places.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Pepa is the protagonist, and we might see Ivan as the antagonist.
Major Conflict
A major conflict of the film is Pepa's attempt to recover from her breakup with Ivan.
Climax
The climax of the film occurs when Pepa goes to the airport to save Ivan and Paulina from Lucia.
Foreshadowing
The reveal of Ivan's affair with Paulina is foreshadowed by her strange behavior.
Understatement
Lucia understates her own insanity in order to convince the hospital to release her.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
An allusion is made to the 1954 film Johnny Guitar, directed by Nicholas Ray.
Paradox
Paradoxically, Ivan asks for Pepa back at the airport, despite how he had treated her earlier in the film.
Parallelism
N/A
