Sometimes the application of a critical response can limit rather than expand our understanding and appreciation of a film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Talk to Her" is a 2002 Spanish film written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. In studying Almodovar, I have often come across recurring traits that are evident, not only in “Talk to Her,” but in most of his film catalogue. So, using auteur theory to understand “Talk to Her” and Almodovar helped my understanding of the director and the film. The directors of the French New Wave movement - most notably François Truffaut - created auteur theory in the 1950s. It focuses on the director's role in creating new visions and redefining cinema. This theory highlighted many stylistic or narrative traits that are synonymous with a certain director's film. In Almodovar's case, he is known for his intertextual references, his love of melodrama, the controversies explored in his films, and the role of strong women. Pedro Almodívar's early life was in the rural area of ​​"La Macha", which he described as being filled with oppression and personal abuse. He moved to Madrid at the age of eighteen in 1970 "to experience independence in the new consumer society", as well as exploring film production. He became part of "La Movida", a title adopted by a growing counterculture movement in Madrid to which Almodovar belonged. It was a collection of young artists and political exhibitionists from the underground film scene. However, the underground film scene surfaced after Franco's death in 1975, when the censorship imposed by his reign was ended. Almodovar and his early films were central to this new sexually liberated scene, and issues of gender, sexuality and inequalities were explored and represented for the first time. An important feature of Almodovar's work is intertextuality. This becomes evident already in the first scene of 'Talk to Her', when Cafa Muller, a dance theater work by Pina Bausch, is presented to the audience. By using a real choreographer and pre-existing dance, Almodovar demonstrates his love for dance and theatre, so he is forced to use the medium a couple of times over the course of the films, namely the opening and closing scenes. Dance is used to develop the narrative as a foreshadowing allegory; when the two tragic dancers fall, they symbolize women in comas. The man moving the chairs, trying to prevent any harm to the women, represents Benigno and, to some extent, Marco, doing his best to keep them safe, just as Benigno and Marco do later in the film. movie. Almodovar uses parallels and intertextual references throughout the film, such as in the "Shrinking Lover" scene. "Shrinking Lover" is a parody of a 1930s expressionist film and reflects Benigno's life and her dysfunctional maternal relationship with her overbearing mother. At the same time, she represents Alicia's "sleeping beauty" and Benigno's desire to get closer to her, physically merging with her during the rape just as Alfredo "merged" with Amparo. The comical and surrealist nature of the scene masks the horrors of rape, presenting it in a romanticized way. The scene of 'The Shrinking Lover' represents the allegory and intertextuality, but also the melodrama of the relationship between Alicia and Benigno. Many of Almodovar's films can be classified as part of the 'melodrama' genre, and 'Talk to Her' is no different. The genre of "melodrama", that is, "emotional drama for adults", was of interestvery Almodovar and can be linked to his films. One way melodrama is demonstrated is through the one-sided and atypical relationship between Alicia and Benigno. When Benigno is seen dressing Alicia during the first part of the film, the scene is captured through a high angle shot looking at Alicia's naked body. Despite the nudity, it is not objectified; on the contrary, it actually presents clinically and is quite depressing as it is evident that she cannot dress herself, even in her "prime". Later in the film, however, just before the rape, when Benigno undresses Alicia the camera is not shown from above, but from below. This allows for greater intimacy and objectification; due to the fact that Alicia is wearing makeup and is dressed a certain way, it looks like she is going on a date. This is an example of how the bizarre relationship that is at the center of the narrative of "Talk To Her" classifies the film as a melodrama. To add to the melodrama of the narrative, Benigno ends up committing suicide by accident, hoping that he would instead end up in a coma to be with Alicia, naively miscalculating the consequences of his actions. However, Alicia is miraculously brought out of the coma and survives the traumatic accident, so the film ends on a hopeful note. Almodovar is famous for ending his films on a hopeful note, to, in a sense, make amends for anything depressing or disturbing. of the film to which the audience has previously been subjected. In "Talk to Her", this is demonstrated in the relationship between Marco and Alicia. Through various signals, the filmmakers indicate to the audience that they are now free to feel satisfied. The empty chair between Marco and Alicia represents Benigno, showing that he is no longer a barrier between the two of them. The once dark music is now uplifting and the light illuminates Alicia's face as she smiles at Marco. The most significant thing is the dance, salsa, which is a very flirtatious and intimate dance. To juxtapose the dance during the opening scene, the staging of this closing performance shows the stage of a lush, verdant paradise, in contrast to the wasteland of overturned chairs we saw before. These are couples with various shades of red (the color of love and passion) filling the screen and the bold title "Marco y Alicia" to highlight the beginning of their relationship. The audience now feels that, after all her complex trauma, Alicia deserves to be loved, and through her maturity and evolution over the course of the film, Marco is now capable of loving her. But, as previously stated, Almodovar usually ends his films on an uplifting note, as was the case with his 1999 film, "All About My Mother." Even though the film's narrative revolves around the tragedies that HIV and AIDS can cause, it manages to end with a miracle of sorts. Despite Lola transmitting HIV to Rosa, and despite the risks this posed for the unborn child, the baby is born healthy and the HIV disappears. Although, unfortunately, this is quite unrealistic, it ends on a joyful note that leaves the audience satisfied. This also adds to the melodrama of the film; the use of the soundtrack, combined with the exaggerated semi-realistic drama of the narrative, demonstrates Almodovar's ability to create a classic piece of cinematic melodrama. Another important melodramatic relationship in "Talk to Her" is that between Marco and Benigno. In their first meeting, Benigno seems more transfixed by Marco than by the actual performance in front of him. This initial sympathy quickly develops into a greater bond between the two men, and Benigno is the catalyst for Marco's maturity and emotional development. This largely comes about when Benigno suggests to Marco that he can connect with Lydia by “talking to her,” though thishe is greeted with great skepticism and Marco wonders what Benigno might know about the "heart" and women due to his sheltered and abnormal character. education. In a way, Benigno is like an innocent child who is completely delusional about the nature of adult relationships. On the other hand, he possesses an important trait that Marco does not possess, the same trait that caused Marco's relationship with Lydia to collapse. Benigno understands what a relationship should be like, how you need to engage with a woman's personality, care for her, love her and treat her as a separate being. Marco has never been engaged to Lydia, proven by how Lydia says in the car that she needs to talk to him, to which Marco says that they have been talking for an hour. “You, not me” is Lydia's response, proving that there is no connection between their dialogues as Marco was too obsessed with himself. However, thanks to his relationship with Benigno, Marco evolves into a more mature and understanding man. Become more like Benigno. This is never more evident than when looking through prison glass. Here their reflection overlaps the two faces, as if they were superimposed. This is calculated to highlight our identification of Marco with Benigno. Both are alone and both love each other in their own way. The exploration/discussion of gender, sexuality and morality shown in “Talk to Her” is different from what is considered “normal” and mainstream, it demonstrates the controversial nature that Almodovar liked. incorporate into his films. Due to Franco's regime, censorship was high, but after his death, "La Movida" expanded the boundaries of cinema and exploited a newly liberated scene. In "Talk to Her", this is represented in two different ways: the socially controversial aspects and the way the dark topic is presented to the audience. As for the first, this is demonstrated by the unconventional character traits and the way in which stereotypes are often subverted: Benigno has an undefined sexuality and behaves in a rather feminine way, acting as a carer for Alicia, while Marco should be masculine, even he cries often and has a very close bond with Benigno which some argue transcends generic male friendship. The dark topic I was referring to is not just rape, but the response and reaction to Benigno beyond rape. There is no doubt that Benigno is portrayed as psychologically troubled throughout the film, yet he still appears kind and caring: a deeply tragic character that the audience sympathizes with. Even after he commits the atrocity of rape, it is difficult for the audience to turn against him, and so the film strays into the moral gray zone. Should we abandon everything we have learned about Benigno after this act? Some would say yes, while others would bring up debates about his mental illness, his troubled childhood, and the fact that when he raped Alicia, he didn't believe it was a violation – rather, he did it to merge with her, to become closer to her. Almodovar wants the audience to leave the cinema and think about the characters and events, and this is the key point of moral discussion in "Talk to Her." This controversy is also evident in "All About My Mother", where the controversial element is AIDS. Estaban's father is described as a monster, an “epidemic” for carelessly spreading the virus. In addition to this, social commentary is also prevalent due to the fact that the father, now "Lola", is a transgender woman. It is a statement from Almodovar that in the world of New Spain, directors can be inclusive in their productions. Both films are amoral and make the audience reflect on the moral debates and controversies they have witnessed. In Almodovar's films, women are very powerful. The director clearly valued it.