12 December 2011

Pedro Almodóvar - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)


One thing I like about watching old movies in which established actors are just starting out is the sense that they haven’t yet become themselves. It’s as though they’re recognisable, but in terms of personality and characteristics blank slates, too young to have established their niches as it were. For instance, settling into Pedro Almodovar’s Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown last night, I noticed Antonio Banderas featured high on the credits. “Oh good,” I thought, having recently seen The Skin I Live In, a recent Almodovar film in which Banderas also stars. “I do enjoy his unique brand of Latin charismo, like a sophisticated version of Bruce Willis or something.” But then, about half an hour in, and unable to make heads or tails of the film excepting that it starred a woman who first wanted to see her ex-lover, then didn’t, then did again, I became impatient. Where was Banderas? Surely he could provide some forward momentum to this unfocused and self-indulgent thing? But the only male character in sight as a pale fellow, sporting a questionable perm and oversized plastic glasses, who kept stuttering and looking uncertain of himself. Would Banderas never turn up?

Then of course it hit me. This was Banderas, just 28 at the time Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown was released in 1988, and yet to stumble onto the Latin action man persona he's now known for. Well. It seemed to me like stumbling onto someone’s old photos of themselves as a child, or exercise books from school. I thought, does Banderas ever watch himself here three decades on? If so, what does he think? Is he proud? Or would he perhaps like the film removed from existence, so that no one can see him prior to when he became himself as it were? It made sitting through the ninety minutes more than worthwhile, even though the film itself was quite terrible.