Review of Talk to Her (2002) by Bob V — 15 Dec 2010

First, a little inside comment to someone who'll know it's for him: This movie has nothing whatsoever to do with lesbians!

Good, now that we have that cleared up: Hable Con Ella is quite possibly Almodovar's second most famous mid-period movie. Most people I talk to seem to either love this one and not be too crazy about "Todo sobre mi madre" or vice versa. Quite often it all appears to depend simply on which one they saw first. As far as I'm concerned, while Hable Con Ella is clearly Almodovar in style and themes, it's vastly different in its tone, lacking the joie de vivre that permeated "Todo...".

But that's not a bad thing. The humanity of the characters shines through, no matter how despicable their actions, and the images are as usual stunning in their colourful melancholy. Whatever you may think of the much-talked-about "silent film sequence" within the film, you cannot deny that's it's genially crafted and photographed.

All in all a haunting, beautiful movie.