This week (Saturday 25) will be 35 years since the premiere of Mujeres al borde un ataque de nervios. A film that marked a before and after in Spanish cinema and especially for Pedro Almodóvar (73), who was internationally known, as he was eligible for the first of his five Oscar nominations.
Winner of five Goyas (film, actress, supporting actress, screenplay and editing), it was the seventh film of the Mancheque director, and it broke with the transgressive elements of the previous ones (Pepi, Lucy Boom and otras chicas del montón, Labyrinth of Passions, Between Darkness, What have I done to deserve this?, Matador). Then he filmed 15 more, which have earned him a total of nine Goyas, four Césars, five Baftas, two Golden Globes and two Oscars, among other awards thanks to titles such as Tacones lejanos, Todo sobre mi madre, Hable con ella , Volver …), but for many Mujeres al borde un ataque nervios is the best of his entire filmography.
A story of horns, of abandoned women who find themselves in the luxurious penthouse in the center of Madrid. There lives Pepa, the protagonist, who spends the entire film hanging on her landline (red) and the answering machine aside, waiting to be able to talk to her ex. A story that today, when communication is through cell phones and WhatsApp, could be difficult for younger people to understand, but Almodóvar managed to keep the film current and fresh 35 years after its release .
The film discovered that terrorism could be Shia, that Jehovah’s witnesses cannot lie, that you can lose your virginity with erotic dreams, that gazpacho could be used as a spear weapon and that “teatro, lo tuyo es puro teatro” sung by La Lupe. He also popularized the Mambotaxi and made Antonio Alvarado’s coffee machine earrings iconic.
Carmen Maura (77) headed the choral cast of Mujeres al borde un ataque de nervios The actress was Pedro Almodóvar’s muse, but in this film they got angry and did not meet again until 18 years later, to return These years, Carmen Maura has confirmed herself as one of the best actresses in Spain and France, where she works assiduously. Hey Carmela! o La comunidad are some of the achievements of his extensive career.
Chus Lampreave appeared in almost all of Almodóvar’s films, until his death in 2014. He also worked with Fernando Trueba, Fernando Colomo even appeared in two Torrente films, by Santiago Segura. Julieta Serrano (90), still active, has an extensive career in film, theater and television and in 2019 she won the Goya for supporting actress for Dolor y gloria.
For Antonio Banderas (62), Mujeres on the verge of a nervous breakdown marked the beginning of his international career. On the occasion of the trip to Hollywood made by the entire team of the film when it was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film (it was won by the Danish Pelle the conqueror), the actor stayed in California with his then wife Ana Leza. Philadelphia, Interview with the vampire, Desperado, Evita, El Zorro, The mercenaries… are some of the titles he has starred in. Precisely his only Goya and his only Oscar nomination were Almodóvar’s performance in Dolor y gloria.
Mujeres al borde un ataque nervios led to the discovery of three actresses. María Barranco (61), very present in Spanish cinema since then, although with secondary roles. Rossy de Palma (58), who has developed a film and fashion career in Spain, France and Italy. And Loles León (72), also has an extensive career in film, television and in the world of entertainment in general. Padre no hay más que uno 3 and La que se avicin a are the most recent works.
The cast of the film was completed by Fernando Guillén, Guillermo Montesinos, Kity Manver, Ángel de Andrés, Agustín Almodóvar, producer and brother of the director and who always appears in his films, and Francisca Caballero, who until his died in 1999, his son always reserved a small role for him.
