Women in the films of Pedro Almodóvar
However, Almodóvar’s cinematic style is famous for being erratic and almost incomprehensible, and therefore contrasts all of the traditional female traits and roles as I mentioned above with more modern depictions of women, often even portraying these different depictions within the same woman. For example, in Volver , Raimunda’s motherly role is juxtaposed with her taking over her neighbour’s restaurant, highlighting how she is not limited to traditional female roles and is capable of juggling both her complicated personal life with work. Moreover, after she takes over the restaurant, she states ‘Now I am in charge here’, proving that she can be resourceful , capable and authoritative, qualities not viewed positively in women under Franco’s regime. Similarly, in Todo sobre mi madre , Manuela learns to live alone and ends up adopting Lola’s baby (which was made with another woman), showing that she has accepted the fact of living as a single mother. In fact, from what we can see at the start of the movie Manuela had already been a good mother with her son and had succeeded in earning enough money while simultaneously looking after her son. The young nun Rosa, who is characterized by her kindness and innocence, states that ‘Women are more tolerant, but that’s good,’ putting forward Almodó var’s idea that women are more resilient to hardships and oppression, and can keep on moving forwards despite the problems they encounter in life. In fact, another key theme expressed in Almodóvar’s movies in relation to women are the numerous hardships they suffer. Often caused by men, in almost all of his movies the women deal with issues such as heartbreak, domestic violence, loneliness, and poverty. The most recurring theme I found to be was heartbreak, as portrayed in the dark comedy movie Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988), where the main character Pepa Marcos (a successful actress) is abruptly abandoned by her husband Iván. Not only does the film portray the desperation of Pepa to be alone, but it also combines a mixture of other problems from other characters who all push their problems onto Pepa (for example, her friend Candela is involved with a group of Shiite terrorists and fears she will be arrested). In summary, the movie depicts the bad effects a breakup can have on women, and this is clearly visible when Pepa states ‘I am not the same anymore Iván. You have destroyed me’, and then later on also says ‘I have no more dreams. I have no more hope’. Quotes like these are used by Almodóvar to depict the extent of the suffering women go through during heartbreak. Similarly, La flor de mi secreto (1995) focuses on a similar idea, basing the story on a female writer (Leo Macias) who has a troubled relationship with her husband before he breaks up with her, and then later finds out that he had been cheating on her with her best friend. Once again Almodóvar uses dramatic language such as ‘I am tired of suffering. I do not know how to go on’ to expose the raw emotion the women feel. Almodóvar also creates many scenarios of domestic violence and stories of sexual abuse, for example in Volver where Raimunda’s daughter is sexually assaulted by her father (leading her to stab him), and then we learn later on in the film that Raimunda’s daughter is also actually her sister, as Raimunda herself had been raped by her own father. By creating such a horrendous scenario for both characters, Almodóvar forces his viewers to appreciate the extent of how such nightmarish situations can appear in wom en’s lives, and creates the idea that they are not uncommon even in modern Spain, where it is estimated that 22% of women have experienced violence. 1
1 EIGE’s Gender Equality Index 2015.
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