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It is a plot that seems on the surface to be one based on a gimmick as old as movie history - two strangers meet and discover that they share a common bond. There is nothing common about the bond they share, however. Benigno and Marco. They find themselves unable to communicate with the objects of their affections (Alicia and Lydia respectively) but not in the way that you or I find it hard to communicate with members of the opposite gender, but because the women they are in love with cannot talk. They cannot talk, they cannot walk, they cannot move. Yes, both women are trapped in deep comas which doctors cannot be sure they will ever awaken from.

In fact, the slow introduction of this film made me wonder if I would be able to stay awake, but I soon found myself trying to keep from blinking to make sure I did not miss one second of the intense drama and comedy that revolved around the lives of all four characters (yes, all four). Although resting in the same position for nearly the entire movie, Alicia (the ballet dancer and apple of Benigno‘s eye) and Lydia (the bullfighter who won Marco‘s heart over) were not missing in action thanks to the two men’s weirdly interesting attempts at keeping the ladies spiritually alive.

This director, Pedro Almodova, does a creatively wonderful job of intertwining all kinds of emotions not only through character depiction and development, but through audience interaction as well. What starts off as a tragic, developing romance converts itself into a tense, yet awkwardly touching and comical situation in which the audience gets tossed around like a salad between love, disgust and compassion for the men and the vegetables. Almodovar presents the movie itself in the form of a tossed salad.

The audience member must pay close attention to the story line which tends to stray from the typical beginning-to-end format. He throws in all kinds of unimaginable twists, startling revelations (and not to mention weird events that fall in like pepper) to make, frankly, one hell of a movie. The variations he digs up and combinations he puts forth with these extremes are truly genius.

If you love surprises, you will definitely love this movie. Its randomness makes it a classic. Another of its classical aspects is the extension of the ballet as not only the profession of Alicia, but also a metaphor. The recurrent use of the ballet adds a graceful touch - like the dressing with which the movie could not have possibly tasted as good without.

Talk To Her comes to you on DVD at the end of the month (May 27th).

picture source: the "Talk to Her" official website