I went to my 11 am cinema class to watch a movie called Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown) a movie produced in 1988 by Pedro Almodovar. The movie stars Antonio Banderas! We were able to finish all of the movie in our class time because it was shorter (about 1.5 hours).
The movie was about a woman named Pepa and her crazy life! Her lover Ivan leaves her for another woman (but the portrayal of all serious events is very comical) and she is trying desperately to get a hold of Ivan to find out why he left while taking sleeping pills since she is so restless. She met Ivan at her job as they both do voice-overs for foreign films. Now Ivan is leaving her voicemails asking her to pack his things without saying why exactly.
In the meantime, Pepa's crazy friend Candela is attempting to contact Pepa as well. She thinks that her boyfriend is a terrorist and is freaking out that the police will come looking for her. Candela goes to Pepa's house and then Carlos and Marisa (an engaged couple) pop in because they are searching for an apartment together. Candela attempts suicide off the balcony, Marisa eats gazpacho (cold Spanish soup) with Pepa's sleeping pills in it and passes out, and Pepa goes to find a lawyer for Candela!
The lawyer, Paulina, seems to know Pepa and is very rude to her (it's Ivan's new lover!), and Carlos and Candela are left in Pepa's apartment alone with Marisa sleeping. Carlos calls the police after Candela tells him the terrorists are planning to hijack a plane to Stockholm (where Ivan and the lawyer are going!).
When Pepa returns to her apartment she just barely misses Ivan as she throws Ivan's packed suitcase outside the apartments. Ivan is leaving with Paulina after his final voicemail from the payphone. Lucia, a mental hospital patient who has been woven throughout the movie in short phone conversations with Pepa, arrives dramatically at Pepa's apartment with police who have traced Carlos' call. Candela is scared out of her wits and Carlos runs to get the spiked gazpacho. All the police pass out and Lucia goes completely crazy in her desire to kill Ivan, threatening Pepa with a gun, spraying her with gazpacho, and then forcing a motorcyclist to take her to the airport. Pepa finally realizes that Paulina is the new lover and that they are running off to Stockholm on the to-be-hijacked flight! Pepa hails a cab to the airport and stops Lucia by rolling a luggage cart into her right before she shoots! Pepa faints in exhaustion and Ivan runs over to her, finally giving her the time to talk....but she refuses and tells him it's too late.
Pepa returns to her disaster of a house with sleeping police, broken windows and telephone, gazpacho everywhere, and her hobby animals that she owns running loose in the house. She goes on the balcony where Marisa has just woken up and there is finally a moment of peace. The big secret is finally revealed and we find out why Pepa was so persistent in trying to get a hold of Ivan-she's pregnant!
How's that for a crazy movie? In Spanish we call it enredo which basically means a complicated, mix up situation! It includes irony and pretty much perfectly describes this movie!
After my class I went home because my second movie class was cancelled (thankfully, yay!). I ate lunch at the residencia and then I had to go back for my class with Professor Manuel. He gave us an assignment due next Monday about all that we have learned. We have to write three short essays.
At 7:30 pm I met up with my intercambio Dani for about an hour at a little restaurant behind the Real Alcazar. It had a gorgeous view of the Giralda and a nice little fountain. He showed me some paperwork about teaching jobs in the United States and the number of jobs in Texas compared to other states was outrageous! He really wants to come teach in Texas which would be awesome!
I walked home for dinner and then don't think I did anything too notable afterward.
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