Transcript for Duo’s Film Club - Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios

This season we're exploring some of the most iconic Spanish-language films. Whether you've seen them or not, you're going to learn what makes these movies so special. In our signature bilingual format.

It's impossible to talk about Spanish language cinema, and not talk about director Pedro Almodolad. We heard from listeners that he was a must for duo's film club. He has so many successful movies that it was hard to choose just one. But for today's episode, we went with Mujeres Alborde de un ataque de nervios, or women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It's a classic for a reason. The writing is hilarious. The cinematography is vibrant. And the film catapulted both Al-Modovar and a young Antonio Vanderas to fame.

Joining us from Madrid is our guest, David Bernal. He's a movie critic and has written for various publications in Spain. He's actually so obsessed with Almo Dovad, that he's writing his doctoral thesis about him. The lead will share why he and so many other Spaniards believe that Pedro Almo Dovad is much more than just a movie director. He is a true icon. So grab some popcorn and get comfy as we dive into this film and experience the wild and changing times of Spain in the 1980s. Please note that Mujeres al-Bord de la Nathaca de Nervios is rated R, but today's episode is family friendly. And one more quick note, keep an ear out for the accent from Spain, where the C, which often sounds like an S sound, is instead pronounced with a the sound. So, sin sudo el cine sounds like... To understand why Pedro Admolova's movies are so iconic, we have to start with his personal story. Admolova grew up in Spain, in a small country town in the 1950s. This was after the Spanish Civil War, and the dictator Francisco Franco had taken power. David says it was a very difficult time in the country, socially and economically. During his dictatorship, Franco censured, or, since Soudal, movies, the media, and much more.

And Mother of God was raised by his mother and other women in town. So he saw firsthand how they barely had any rights under Franko's rule. Women often had to ask permission to work. Divorce was illegal. And women had limited opportunities for education. In Bethydl's hometown, many women didn't know how to read. So his mother often read their mail for them. The lead says that the young Bethydl loved listening to his mother read these letters, especially when she got creative.

Although it followed his passion for storytelling to Madrid, and by the early 1980s, the dictatorship finally ended and Spain moved toward the democracy. The transition unleashed an explosion of creativity, which would reshape Al-Modovard's life, his career, and all of Spanish society. This period was called La Movida, Madrid-Lenia.

Okay, now that we know more about what Spain was like in the 1980s, we're ready to talk about the movie, and it's impressive women. The movie follows the twists and turns of their lives in Madrid in the late 1980s. And in it, we see how the main characters break down stereotypes. It starts with Peppa, a voice actor who's heartbroken. We see how she suffers, or suffering. When her boyfriend Ivan suddenly leaves her.

While searching for her ex, Peppa encounters a cast of quirky characters, they include her friend, Candela, who's entangled in a messy romance, and Marissa, who's dating Iván's son. With these women, the movie introduces us to the director's distinctive style, and his quote, Chica's al-Modovad, women who break norms, or Istanbul.

Over the course of his 50-year career, I'm although that has made over 20 feature films. So, you might wonder why duose film club picked this one. Well, first of all, the movie celebrates women. We see them owning their freedoms and inner strength after enduring decades of repression under Franco. That's at Almo Dover at a part back then, and still does to this day. Another reason why we picked Mujeris is because after it was released in 1988, it launched Almo Dover's International Career.

Almo Dovad's earlier films during the movie The Motherly Line, were more experimental. But Mujeres is a classic Spanish film. And while Almo Dovad's style has become more sophisticated over time, Mujeres is a super accessible movie with relatable characters and themes. In fact, it turned Almo Dovad's name into a new word. The video explains what makes something called Almo Dovadiano.

Clearly, unmodified has had a huge impact on Spain, cinema, and language, but he's also touched people's personal lives, like our guest, David. Now you get a chance to deepen your understanding of the film in our segment, phone lip play, or press play. This is where we play a scene from the movie so you can enjoy an extra learning moment. We picked today's scene because it showcases some of the powerful acting and look at us. We see that BIPA is becoming desperate, literally on the verge of a nervous breakdown, as she tries to reach her ex-boyfriend, Yvonne. She calls his home, even though she knows he probably won't answer. Instead, another important woman in the movie picks up the phone. It's Yvonne's wife, Lucia. Things get tense pretty quickly. The scene starts with Peppa inside an old school phone booth at work, and a bright red phone rings. We just heard two of the most respected actresses in Spain, Garmin Moura, as Pepa, and Julieta Serrano as Lucia. With only a few lines, they bring these characters to life. Two resilient women who are being mistreated by the same man. The bead says it's interesting how the scene sets up another important theme in the movie, communication, and all the ways it can go wrong.

Okay, fun fact number one is about color. One of the opening scenes features Peppa's ex-boyfriend, and it's a man's world with images in black and white. But soon, we learn that Peppa lives life in vibrant color, and there's one hue that stands out. Red.

Speaking of the color red, fun fact number two is about the bright red tomato soup that Peppa makes called Gaspacho. Not only does Gaspacho play an important role in the film, it's also a staple in Spanish cuisine.

Fun fact number three takes us to the streets. Almo Dovad and his movies are so iconic that there's something called La Ruta Almo Dovad. It's one of several tours that takes you to some locations where he's filmed, including Pippa's penthouse in the heart of Madrid.

Okay, for those who have seen the movie, we have one more bonus trivia to share, but It's a spoiler. So if you haven't seen Mujeres, now's the time to skip ahead to the end, or come back when you've watched it. Okay, ready? So, this spoiler is about one of the narrative elements we mentioned, the Guest Bacheles Soup. In the movie, Bepa spikes it with sleeping pills. The character Medisa accidentally drinks it, and then she has a very interesting dream. Well, this was such an intriguing twist that Almo though that returned it to the Guest Bacheles and, as David explains, made it an Easter egg in some of his later films.

Now you're ready to enjoy Mujeres al-Bordi de una taque de nervios. And so many more films by Pedro al-Modovar. Thank you to our guests, David Betnal. We wish you the best of luck finishing your thesis about al-Modovar. This episode was written by Thali Goldman, a journalist and writer based in Buenos Aires. And if you want to get ahead for next week's film club, we're diving into the Spanish version of the beloved animated Pixar film Coco. We would love to know what you thought of this episode. You can write us an email at podcast at duelinggo.com or send us an audio message on WhatsApp at plus17039539369. Don't forget to see your name and where you're from. If you liked this episode, please share it. You can find the audio and a transcript of podcast.duolingo.com. You can also follow us on Apple podcasts or on your favorite listening app, so you never miss an episode. With over 500 million users, Duolingo is the world's leading language learning platform, and the most downloaded education up in the world. Duolingo believes in making education free, fun, and available to everyone. to join download the app today or find out more at duallingo.com. The duallingo Spanish podcast is produced by duallingo and other media. I'm the executive producer and your host, Martina Gatro.