Women in the films of Pedro Almodóvar
Lastly, the other major theme Almodóvar frequently entertains in his movies is the difficulty which women in Spain have to earn money, especially if living alone or having to support a family. This is demonstrated most clearly in Todo sobre mi madre , in which various characters including (in the past) Manuela herself sold their bodies in order to earn money. Almodóvar portrays the way this is common in Spain, and how many women just accept their lives as they are, despite living in poverty and misery. For e xample, Agrado (a transgender sex worker and an old friend of Manuela), tells Manuela that ‘A woman is her hair, her nails, lips for sucking or for bitching’. This idea of the widespread objectification of women is exactly what Almodóvar presents to us, whilst simultaneously showing through Manuela how women are much more than that and can defy traditional sexist stereotypes. In conclusion, Pedro Almodóvar portrays women in his films in a variety of different ways, pushing forwards the idea that they can simultaneously have feminine qualities such as being nurturing, loving, caring, etc., whilst also defying traditional gender roles by taking positions of power, and not depending on men to be emotionally stable. The majority of his movies are based on female principal roles, and as stated by Almodóvar in an interview at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan ‘I do find at least in Spa nish culture, women to be more vivacious, more direct, more expressive, with a lot less of a sense of being fearful of making a fool of themselves.’ 2 Almodóvar also uses many of the same actresses in his movies, such as Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura or Cecilia Roth as he forms strong, personal bonds with the actors, and therefore is able to highlight their actual personalities and strengths, creating a much more real experience for the viewers. The impact that Almodóvar’s portrayal of women has had on both his works and on global cinema is huge, creating many new opportunities for women actresses and raising awareness of the malleability that women roles can have in both cinema and in real life.
Bibliography
D.T. Max The evolution of Pedro Almodóvar. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/05/the-evolution-of-pedro-almodovar. Consulted: 21/08/24 El Hunt. Who is Pedro Almodóvar: iconic director and counter-culture trailblazer https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/who-is-pedro-almodovar-director-strange-way-of-life-volver-penelope- cruz-pedro-pascal-b1107921.html. Consulted 22/08/24 European Institute for Gender Equality. Combating violence against women https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2016.5476_mh0216771enn_pdfweb_20170215100603.p df. Consulted 22/08/2024 Films: Almodóvar. P. (1999) Todo sobre mi madre. Almodóvar. P. (1988) Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios. Almodóvar. P. (1995) La flor de mi secreto Almodóvar. P. (2006) Volver
2 The New York Times 2016
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