Annie Hall*

The 1970s were revolutionary in that people began to question once-acceptable institutions and lifestyles. One very radical change that transpired in the United States was the feminist movement. Along with this movement came the sexual revolution where suddenly women acquired more dominance in their romantic and sexual relationships. Women’s newfound independence offered them much more happiness and liberation, yet it seemed the rewards of this revolution were not mutual. Men became very threatened by the idea of women in control and were reluctant to embrace the idea. With men still clinging to the idea that their role was one of sexual master and family breadwinner, women struggled to find the equality they deserved when relating to men. Romance failed to live up to the fairy tale, and dating became an arduous struggle to build a successful, reciprocal relationship. Woody Allen seemed to have understood these struggles when he wrote and directed Annie Hall in 1977.

The film dissects the relationship between Allen’s neurotic Alvy Singer and his girlfriend of the film’s title played by Diane Keaton. The film provides a recapitulation of their romance from Alvy’s fatalistic perspective as he attempts to grasp some kind of justification for the relationship’s failure. In my paper, I will argue that Annie Hall interprets the tragic dimensions of 1970s romance by arguing that changing gender roles caused alienation and frustration within male-female relationships.

The New Female Role: Hurdles and Opportunities

For many women prior to the ‘70s, marriage seemed like a necessity and it was difficult to find security without finding a husband as well. Although it was becoming possible for women to remain single while maintaining happiness and success, choosing single life and the dating scene over the protection of marriage wasn’t as accommodating and liberating as it appeared to be. Explains Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English in their book For Their Own Good: 150 Years of the Expert’s Advice to Women, “The constituency for neo-romanticism is the vast number of women who see themselves as potential "losers" in the sexual free marketplace: housewives who have no alternative means of support to their husbands' income and they fear, no alternative to their present husbands” (319). Besides rejecting the security of marriage, women adopting the single lifestyle encountered the likelihood of being objectified by men reluctant to recognize women as their equals. Says Margaret Adams, author of Single Blessedness: Observations on the Single Status in Married Society, about the role constrictions placed on single women, “Their age and physical attractiveness are repeatedly evaluated as more important than their personality or intelligence. They should be flirtatious and dressed to kill, yet not seem too ‘easy’” (211). In Annie Hall, Alvy immediately places these restrictions on Annie. Upon their first meeting, Alvy and Annie engage in an uneasy and somewhat awkward conversation in Annie’s apartment. Due to Woody Allen’s clever narrative style, the scene allows the audience to literally read each person’s thoughts from the subtitles inserted into the scene. Annie strives to impress Alvy with her interest in photography in order to convince him she is not some dim-witted bimbo, yet all the while the subtitles reveal Alvy pondering how great-looking Annie is, speculating how she looks naked. Allen emphasizes how because certain men possessed these superficial expectations, women struggled to establish a truly “liberated” role in their relationships with men. Although this was one of many impediments single women encountered, being recognized as bright and competent rather than visually stimulating was a crucial step for women striving to attain the respect of their male counterparts.

Annie’s initial problem upon meeting Alvy resides in her naiveté, trusting that Alvy will provide her with a secure relationship because he appears to be very intellectual and sophisticated. Says Ferm McKay, a university professor married for ten years, “Before feminism, our generation of smart girls used our intelligence to make the best deal in marriage. We matched ourselves with strong, confident men who could give us some of their identity. Now that we’ve found our own identity and our own emotional reality, we’re stuck with the cold, overbearing guy who was once such a good catch” (85). This is precisely what Annie comes to realize as her singing career takes off. She meets new and exciting people and develops a confidence completely independent of Alvy’s influence. Suddenly it becomes clear to Annie that Alvy’s intelligence and sophistication to which she once clung are, in fact, disguises for his obsession, jealousy and self-loathing. The romantic element of their relationship is no longer feasible, and Annie must move on. Jean Jamm, a 26-year-old trial lawyer, must have understood this situation when she said, “The very idea of a romantic life is ridiculous to me. I am looking for companionship and for activities that enrich my life” (Newsweek 67). Women were finally realizing the potential they held as individuals; meanwhile, men began to lose touch with their role in this new world of women.

Men Struggle with the Independent Woman

While women in the 1970s obtained freedoms in the workplace and in their relationships, men gained insecurities about where they stood in such a society. Explains Edward J. Bardon, psychiatrist affiliated with the University of Minnesota, “We commonly associate sexual prowess with the strong, dominant male and sexual responsiveness with the passive yielding female. To depart from our traditional role is to invite fears of our sexual abilities and attractiveness” (31). While men found the independent woman attractive, as soon as he had her in his life, this independence became more threatening to him. Judy Jarvis illustrates this point very clearly in her article, “The New Rules in the Mating Game” from a 1978 issue of Esquire Magazine. She suggests that the man will claim, “‘I like you because you’re strong and independent. So strong.’ But as soon as the woman has other plans or runs into some other man when she’s out with him, he gets nervous. Then he’s on the telephone the next day trying to line her up for the next seven weekends. The independence is what grabs him, but he really wants her to be more dependent, more submissive” (40). As their relationship progresses, Annie begins to progress as well, proving her strength and independence to Alvy. Annie’s singing and talent improve and consequently her self-confidence and integrity increase as well. Her doubts about her own intelligence are diminishing and she no longer needs Alvy to reassure her of her self-worth. Annie’s newfound self-respect proves to be disastrous for Alvy, however, as he grows more insecure and possessive of Annie’s carefree, adventuresome life. He is reluctant to attend parties associated with the record producers and musicians Annie has befriended, and he complains incessantly during his trip California, while Annie is delighted with the cleanliness and excitement that Los Angeles has to offer.

Annie: It's so clean out here!
Alvy: That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.

Not every man in the 1970s felt this same insecurity, and by simply portraying this one characteristic of the male perspective, Allen is clearly stressing that which challenged women’s liberation as to offer a unique interpretation of widely discussed issue He presents Alvy and Annie as developing distinct viewpoints due to Annie’s newfound independence. While Alvy is aware of this reality, however, he neglects the opportunities to inform Annie of his concerns, leaving the pair with a whole new conflict that affected similar romantic relationships during the 1970s.

Breaking the Silence

An obvious obstacle in Alvy and Annie’s relationship is their failure to communicate problems and maturely search for a solution. Annie, though it may have been easier for her as a woman to express emotion, finds difficulty in being honest with Alvy as he habitually turns serious issues into comical banter. As Tim Dirk explains in his review of Annie Hall, “Annie stutters about her love for [Alvy]. Serious emotional words fail Alvy when he tries to tell Annie how much she means to him. He circumvents the word and retreats into comedy to directly avoid vowing that he loves her.” A part of this dilemma lies in the freedom given to women that, although guaranteed power, placed an equal burden of possibly voicing anxieties that would send their men packing. Carol Tavris and T. George Harris, both psychologists, point out that, “So many women find themselves stranded on the line between liberation and loneliness, facing impossible alternatives. The choices are tough. Stay with an unsatisfactory status quo, compromise, press for change, or leave. Or opt for celibacy” (49). In his inability to take Annie seriously and behave seriously himself, Alvy alienates Annie, triggering her uncertainty as to what she can discuss that will not divert him.

Issues about Alvy and Annie’s sexuality are also confined and though they argue about it, neither feels the need to discuss it except to their respective analysts. Tavris and Harris explain, “With all the chatter about sex today, people are still reporting that they have severe trouble telling each other what they really want—in sex and in love. It’s easier to talk to an anonymous questionnaire or a professional listener than to the stranger in our bed” (49). Still, undeniable differences existed between men and women especially in how each regarded sexual issues, and had these differences been voiced between Alvy and Annie, the conflict may have been alleviated somewhat. As James C. Neely, journalist for Esquire magazine, explains in his article, “Male and Female: Nature’s Cosmic Joke,” the problem is that, “Young women and men come together for wholly different psychological and social needs, deriving perhaps from infantile sexual conditioning, but they are not the least concerned with such at the time of the required coupling” (42). We see, for example, how Annie and Alvy view their sex life differently as both simultaneously discuss the issue with their personal psychiatrists:

Alvy's analyst: How often do you sleep together?
Annie's analyst: Do you have sex often?
Alvy (lamenting): Hardly ever, maybe three times a week.
Annie (complaining): Constantly, I'd say three times a week

Alvy’s constant need for sex and the problems it causes for Annie are illustrated in Neely’s explanation: “The young man feels his sex as a specific discomfort, a localized tension and drive, with uncontrollability at the damndest times. It gets in his way. He wants her specifically for release, and he painfully learns discipline in risking himself in this often-frustrating way. The young woman wants his sex for another reason entirely” (42). Allen’s depiction of sexual estrangement between Alvy and Annie accentuates the fact that men and women maintained very distinct sexual views and this led to further frustration. Sex definitely presented a discord between men and women; the bigger problem, however, arose when men began to lose control of their dominant sexual role.

The Sexual Revolution and the Death of the Dominant Male

Generally speaking, men have viewed themselves as the pursuers, the dominators and the conquerors in their relations with women. To maintain confidence and comfort, men required women to be passive and adhere to their demands. “To the man steeped in the tradition of dominance, authority and power, women’s liberation appears as a distinct threat. As women become independent and achieve positions of greater control, these men sense mastery slipping from their grasp. They view this as an uncalled for usurpation of power.” (Bardon 216) Where this revolutionary concept appeared to cause the most affliction among men was within their sexual relationships. “Women’s liberation places increased pressure on the male to perform sexually and be a good lover. The feminist message that women have an inherent right to sexual satisfaction means that the male can no longer be concerned only with his own pleasure. He must now make efforts to please his partner” (Bardon 221). Alvy displays definite anxiety when faced with Annie’s constant need to smoke marijuana before they have sex. Annie claims she needs to feel relaxed, but Alvy exhibits concern over whether or not he gives her enough pleasure to enjoy the experience “free of grass.” He is also struggling to maintain dominance, as he feels threatened by his inability to control Annie to the fullest extent. The marijuana is essentially what pleases Annie rather than Alvy’s skills as a lover. Had Alvy felt confident in his sexual abilities, he would not have persistently objected to Annie’s desire for the drug. Nevertheless, Annie agrees to sex without marijuana, and although they go through the motions of sexual intercourse, Annie’s apathetic and removed spirit rises from her to sit in a chair next to the bed while Alvy is left with only her body. Alvy’s inadequacy issues intensify when Annie then says, “Alvy, do you remember where I put my drawing pad? Because while you two are doing that, I think I'm going to do some drawing.” As film critic Tim Dirks points out, “He is frustrated, because he cannot entirely possess her.”

The simple fact that Annie engages in drug use prior to sex was also something very groundbreaking about women’s sexuality. Females took an active role in pursuing a more beneficial sex life, and a man had to accede to not always having the ability to please a woman on his own. According to a poll of 100,000 readers in Redbook magazine taken in 1975, nearly 65 percent of the women occasionally had sex while under the influence of alcohol and 63 percent of the women under 25 sometimes smoked marijuana before having sex. Annie Hall represented a whole generation of women discarding the expectations of men because it was finally time to acquire some of the power. “Our findings show that women have completely abandoned the role of passive sexual partner. They are now active participants in the sexual relationship,” states sociologist Robert J. Levin. (Newsweek 57) Allen’s insecurity concerning male dominance likewise manifested itself in Alvy’s doubts about Annie’s faithfulness.

The taboo concept of the promiscuous female simply did not seem possible to men prior to the sexual revolution. The idea of a woman straying from her obligation and loyalty to one man seemed absurd even though when men would occasionally cheat or desire another woman, women still practiced fidelity in order to please her partner and keep him in her life. These double standards are illustrated in an article by Karlyn Bowman featured on the website, The Public Perspective: A Roper Center Review of Public Opinion and Polling. It states, “There is a long-standing belief that men are more prone to temptation than women. In 1943, in one of the first questions of its kind, Elmo Roper didn't even think to ask men about women's extramarital dalliances…In 1946, when Gallup asked women to list the top faults of their husbands, thoughtlessness topped the list followed by bossiness and ‘other women.’ ‘Other men’ wasn't even mentioned by men who were asked about their wives' faults.”

The ‘70s ushered in a change, however, that would contribute to the sexual liberation of women as well as the additional concern of men. In the same sexual survey conducted by Redbook magazine mentioned above, one-third of the 100,000 women polled claimed to have had extramarital affairs, while 36 percent said they would like to participate in one. Because it was becoming acceptable for women to abandon their monogamous duties, men no longer held the upper hand and this loss of control alarmed them. Allen exhibits his apprehension through Alvy’s resentment. In the midst of their relationship, Alvy grows increasingly jealous of Annie and her relationships with other men, including her professor of a class he convinced Annie to take. As Annie discusses her professor’s fondness for her, Alvy’s concerns escalate, and he accuses Annie of having an affair and proceeds to spy on her when she goes to class. Alvy’s hypocritical nature surfaces when Annie points out that Alvy is the one who wanted to avoid the commitment and keep things “flexible.”

Without a doubt, the ‘70s included a wholly separate breed of men who were comfortable with women taking control of their relationships. Nevertheless, Allen chose to focus on the idea of threatened masculinity to draw attention to some the setbacks of the feminist movement. With Alvy and Annie’s growing frustration and anxiety came their urge for change. The pair realized what they disliked in the other person, and suddenly a simple irritation with the relationship resulted in a ruthless struggle for power.

Finding Equality and Mutual Respect

A difficult issue most couples faced when dating was the struggle to change his or her partner in an effort to gain power in the relationship. One person is not satisfied with the other’s behavior but the attempt to change the other’s life could lead to serious ill effects. For example, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, co-founder of Ms. Magazine and the National Women's Political Caucus, makes a valid point when she says, “There may be moments when you wish you had never begun. Guilt, ambivalence and fear of abandonment are common by-products of the struggle for change” (44). Allen was aware that a slight hesitance was still present in women despite their urge for liberation, and he took that concept and manipulated it as to challenge the idea of feminism as successful. Alvy and Annie are constantly debating about Annie’s intelligence. Alvy pressures Annie to take adult education classes further reinforcing Annie’s uncertainty about her intellect. Alvy will deny thinking Annie is inferior, but he finds comfort in trying to transform Annie into someone more like him. As film historian Patricia Mellencamp points out in her book A Fine Romance: Five Ages of Film Feminism, “The real key to Allen is his ambivalence toward women—pure Freud, with women loved and feared, worshiped and disdained. Annie refers to herself throughout the film as stupid. Alvy/Allen denies it while the film illustrates it” (95). Allen observed the change in the female role during the 1970s, and rather than embrace its potential for women by portraying Alvy as someone who supports and encourages Annie, he instead represents Alvy as egocentric and manipulative suggesting Allen’s reluctance to bestow upon women their sought out place in society.

In his dismissal of Annie’s individualism, Alvy does not see her interests or opinions as valid or significant and consequently, he attempts to transform her personality into a reflection of his own. Fixated on the subject of mortality, Alvy wants to buy two less-than-uplifting books for Annie including Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death and Jacques Choron's Death and Western Thought. Basically his ulterior motive is to convert Annie into a death-obsessed, intellectual New York Jew. On the contrary, Annie is considering buying something more simple and innocuous like The Cat Book because she is thinking of buying a cat to alleviate the loneliness of her social life. Her outlook appears trivial to Alvy, and through Alvy’s rejection of Annie as her own person, Allen’s skepticism of female independence is revealed despite any instances in the film where Allen may show Annie in a positive light.

The Romantic Comedy, Or Something Like It

Woody Allen significantly revolutionized the romantic comedy genre with Annie Hall, as it was the first of its kind to convey the neuroses men and women share when struggling to find equality in their relationships. In reality, romance is not always beautiful, elating and painless where two lovers engage in passionate embraces to the tune of violins. Relationships are unstable, bewildering, and disconcerting, and Allen took the initiative to portray relationships in this manner to offer his audience a new way of approaching film romance. Allen does not sugar coat anything about love for entertainment value but creates a character in Alvy Singer that helps provide an interpretation of the fears and trepidations of a selection of single men in the 1970s.

Allen’s film also comes at a time when the male sex symbol of classic romantic cinema was surely fading. For example, in Jeanine Basinger’s article, “A Farewell to the Male Mystique,” the role of the female is discussed as empowered and no longer in need of her male counterpart to achieve happiness. Says Basinger, a film professor at Wesleyan University, “The ‘road’ pictures of the late sixties, which featured runaway wives and women out in the world seeking themselves, marked the time when women began to provide their own escapes. No longer did a young woman stand at her bedroom window, dreaming of a man to come and take her away. If she wanted to go, she went” (23). Gregg Kilday, journalist for Daily Variety, also points out that, “It's the women --- whether empowered by family money in the old days or by their own high-powered careers in more recent films --- that usually have the upper hand in the battles of the sexes that ensue” (26). With women not only taking control of their lives but also the texts of films in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, Allen made a bold statement with Annie Hall by presenting the film from his character’s perspective. Although we see Annie as liberated through her separation with Alvy, this liberation is interpreted as a loss for Alvy and it is he, the male figure of the film, who obtains our sympathy. Women may have gained a certain degree of independence in the 1970s, but with Annie Hall, Woody Allen offered the interpretation that changing gender roles could also result in social, intellectual, and sexual barriers between men and women that would inevitably limit this newly acquired independence.

Bibliography available upon request

*1977 Academy Award Winner for Best Actress (Diane Keaton), Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay

Talk to Her (Hable con ella)*

When people watch films, they may take for granted that the experience they are having is a direct result of the way the film’s story is being told. Because film is a narrative medium, there is always some kind of narrator pulling the strings. Whether it’s a character in the film, the screenwriter, or the director, someone is always manipulating the audience. That manipulation is the plot, or the particular arrangement of the film’s main story events. Some people assume that plot and story are the same thing but think about a film like The Usual Suspects or Pulp Fiction. These films have a non-linear narrative structure and thus the plot is much different than the story. If we saw whole “story” of The Usual Suspects play out chronologically, there would be no suspense or surprise, which is why the film’s “plot” rearranges story events out of order. A spectator can have a completely different and altogether more satisfying experience with a film simply because its story events are organized in an unconventional manner. The film I am going to focus on that brilliantly illustrates this cinematic principle is Pedro Almodóvar’s Talk to Her. With careful examination of how plot manipulates story, it becomes possible to understand why exactly this film has the effect that it does.

Talk to Her is a film about four individuals whose lives intertwine through a sequence of events that span a period of about five years. What is interesting about Talk to Her is that its story is quite simple, yet the film itself is narrated in a very complex way. The basic drama consists of a series of conversations between characters struggling with their own personal hopes, fears, and desires. Although the film is constructed in a complex way, it is not done so haphazardly. By examining the way in which this story is told, it becomes clear that every liberty the plot takes regarding the story functions to manipulate the spectator’s level of knowledge throughout the film. This manipulation occurs in several ways. By rearranging story events, the plot forces the spectator to reevaluate his or her knowledge about certain characters and events. Repetition of story events is employed as a way of refreshing the spectator’s knowledge enabling him or her to realize the narrative significance of those events in relation to others. The plot also manipulates the spectator’s knowledge by omitting or skipping important story events via the ellipsis. Finally, manipulating the story can serve as a means of generating specific feelings in the spectator toward characters as a means of achieving the film’s main objective.

Story Order vs. Plot Order

A plot can take many liberties when rendering the events of the story most often as a means of creating narrational gaps. In Talk to Her, narrational gaps result from the way the plot tells Benigno’s story and the way it tells Marco’s story. Levels of knowledge regarding story events change as the spectator is given different amounts of narrative information about each character. Marco’s entire relationship with Lydia and its history unfold chronologically allowing the spectator to experience events in Marco’s life as he experiences them. With Benigno it is just the opposite. The spectator is very unclear about he and Alicia’s history since the plot does not provide this information until later in the film.

With Benigno and Alicia, we move from the present to the past in order to comprehend the nature of their relationship. In Scene 2, we see pictures of Alicia in Benigno’s apartment which suggests that they are close, yet it is unclear how Benigno came to be Alicia’s caretaker, what caused Alicia’s coma, and why Benigno has such strong feelings for her. These questions go unanswered throughout Acts III and V, but Benigno’s affection toward Alicia suggests that their relationship extends beyond that of patient and nurse. With Marco and Lydia it is just the opposite. Their meeting, relationship, and Lydia’s accident are played out chronologically from the beginning with the exception of Act VIII which recalls the events of and leading up to the encounter that takes place between Marco and Lydia in Scene 16.

Act V becomes a very important one in the film because it marks a shift in the spectator’s knowledge. Up until this point, the spectator knows much more about Marco’s life than Benigno’s life, specifically in regards to Lydia and Alicia. Yet prior to Act V, there was no narrative motivation for Benigno to recall his history with Alicia. The only other people with whom he interacted were already aware of Alicia’s condition and her relationship to Benigno. Bordwell explains, “The flashback is usually motivated psychologically, as character recollection. The narration motivates the presentation of the flashback realistically, letting us eavesdrop of the character’s memory.” In Scene 26, Marco and Benigno meet in the hospital, a friendship quickly grows between them, and it is Benigno’s trust in Marco that causes him to disclose the details of his past regarding Alicia. This disclosure occurs through a flashback that finally reveals the history between Benigno and Alicia. The spectator is now aware of the fact that Benigno and Alicia are practically strangers and with this new knowledge, the spectator can more accurately judge Benigno’s character. Benigno’s tenderness and affection toward Alicia from this point on are subject to scrutiny due to the nature of his feelings for her.

Acts I-IV go back and forth between Marco’s story line and Benigno’s story line and in Act V we see the merging of these two lines. Although the two characters are dealing with a similar set of circumstances when they meet, the spectator’s knowledge regarding the two characters is very different. Marco’s emotional state is accounted for because he and Lydia’s story has already been told. Through Benigno’s flashback, his character is fleshed out more and this enables the spectator is judge Benigno’s character more accurately.

Narration and Repetition

When Bordwell discusses the function of shuffling story order, he points out that doing so forces the viewer to evaluate material in the light of new information about prior events. An example of this in Talk to Her involves the scene in the car between Marco and Lydia on the day of Lydia’s accident. The first time, in Scene 16, we don’t see the entire conversation or anything that has led up to it. Lydia appears distraught and tells Marco that they have to talk after the fight and it is uncertain what is on her mind.

The encounter is repeated in Scene 50 through flashback, but this time the entire conversation is played out. Lydia and Marco have just attended the wedding of Marco’s ex-girlfriend, Angela. In the car, Marco discusses his feelings regarding Angela and this prompts Lydia to tell Marco that they have to talk after her fight. We then return to the present to a scene between Nino and Marco in which Nino explains to Marco that he and Lydia had rekindled their romance a month prior to the fight and she was going to tell Marco after the fight. Having just seen the exchange between Marco and Lydia in the car, the spectator is now able to use Nino’s revelations to clarify Lydia’s feelings of apprehension. The reiteration of the scene is important because without it, the spectator would not see the significance of one scene’s relationship to another. Lydia’s anguish in Scene 16 is essential but without repetition might likely be forgotten. By bringing it up again in Scene 50, and following it with Nino’s disclosure to Marco, the spectator is able to link Marco’s pain to Lydia’s pain and this makes their break from one another all the more devastating.

The Function of Ellipses

In addition to rearrangement and repetition, the plot can also manipulate the story by way of an ellipsis. David Bordwell writes in Narration and the Fiction Film, “If an omitted span contains significant information, the ellipsis can create a suppressive narration that shapes our hypothesis-forming activity.” This is true of the ellipsis that occurs from Scene 59 to Scene 60. In Scene 59, Benigno is accused of raping and impregnating Alicia. The scene creates a very strong curiosity in the spectator about what will happen to Benigno and Alicia as a result of this incident. The plot moves forward eight months in time from Scene 59 to Scene 60, and the spectator is left with several questions. Did Benigno go to prison for the rape? Did Alicia have the child? Did Alicia ever wake from her coma? Marco has been away for these eight months so he cannot answer the questions. However, in Scene 61, when Marco discovers that Benigno is in prison, his curiosity provides the motivation for having these questioned answered throughout the rest of the film. Because Benigno was imprisoned and forbidden to see Alicia or speak with anyone at the hospital, Benigno is in a similar position as Marco and the spectator. He does not know what happened to Alicia anymore than we do. Since Benigno was the spectator’s link to Alicia, expectations regarding her fate are intensified. Marco’s discovery of Alicia in the dance studio in Scene 69 is one of the most shocking and dramatic moments of the film, and this is because of the way the plot is constructed. Because the narration has been restricted to Benigno and Marco, and Benigno and Marco were absent from Alicia’s life in those eight months, there was no narrative motivation for presenting those eight months of her life in the plot. Consequently, that information was withheld from the plot until something motivated its revelation. The ellipsis in Talk to Her is not an arbitrary liberty taken by the plot. It serves to create a curiosity in the spectator about a key piece of narrative information so that when the information is finally revealed, the spectator will appreciate its significance.

How Structure Manipulates Emotion

Though a lot can be said about how plot manipulates spectator knowledge, there is also much to be said about how it manipulates the spectator’s emotions. Story events are arranged in the plot of Talk to Her in such a way that the film generates very specific feelings about each character. In Acts I-IV, the spectator is introduced to both Benigno and Marco. While nothing occurs in Benigno’s scenes (Acts I, III) that would cause the spectator to feel strong emotions toward him, in Marco’s scenes (Acts II, IV) the spectator is able to see his relationship with Lydia as well as Lydia’s accident. Before Act V begins, the spectator has been given much more reason to be sympathetic toward Marco since the emotional ups and downs of his relationship with Lydia have been played out.

When Benigno finally does reveal his history with Alicia in Acts V-VI, it becomes apparent that Benigno is actually obsessed with Alicia. This creates uneasiness in the spectator toward Benigno. From this point on, it becomes difficult to empathize with Benigno’s loneliness in the same way we would Marco’s because we know now that no relationship ever existed between Alicia and Benigno. Moreover, Alicia’s accident is not enacted in the film’s plot and Lydia’s is. Because the spectator is given a visual of the tragic event that put Lydia in a coma and is not given the same for Alicia, the spectator is able to feel even more sympathy for Marco’s character.

In Act VII, an event takes place that strengthens the spectator’s anxiety toward Benigno. In Scene 45, while massaging her, Benigno tells Alicia about a silent film he has just seen. The scene is intercut with a sequence from the silent film and there is overt sexuality present in the silent film sequence that is echoed in the way Benigno is touching Alicia. The scene is upsetting because it reveals the raw desperation and loneliness Benigno suffers from. It suggests an instability in Benigno that appears to be a threat to Alicia and consequently comes off as threatening to the spectator.

In Act VIII, there is a flashback, or more accurately a recount of the conversation between Lydia and Marco on the day of her fight. Lydia’s feelings of anguish were unclear the first time the scene was played out but are clarified in Act IX-Scene 52 when Nino tells Marco about Nino and Lydia’s relationship. Act IX becomes another point in the film where the spectator is prompted to feel compassion for Marco because Nino has explained to Marco how Lydia was truly feeling. The real tragedy, however, lies in the fact that we now know why Lydia was so reluctant to talk to Marco in the car. Marco had just told Lydia that his relationship with Angela was over, and Lydia’s guilt kept her from telling Marco that her relationship with him was, in fact, over as well. After Nino’s revelation in Scene 52, it is as though Marco has lost Lydia all over again and this makes him that much more sympathetic to the audience. While the spectator’s feelings of sympathy toward Marco are intensified in Act VIII, those feelings of uneasiness toward Benigno are simultaneously intensified. In Scenes 53-59, the fact that Benigno has raped and impregnated Alicia slowly comes to light. The nurses discover that Alicia has been missing her periods and Benigno was covering this up. Meanwhile, Benigno confesses to Marco that he wishes to marry to Alicia, which is very off-putting to Marco. The events surrounding Benigno in Act IX are even more suggestive of his instability than those of Act VII.

In Act X, Benigno undergoes a complete mental breakdown and eventually commits suicide because he realizes that his desire for Alicia will never be fulfilled. While everyone else in the film has dismissed Benigno, Marco remains his friend even until Benigno’s last moments of life. He is even willing to disobey Mr. Sanz’s requests to keep the news about Alicia from Benigno in order to prevent Benigno from killing himself. In Act X-Scene 78, Marco visits Benigno’s gravestone and it is in this scene that our compassion for Marco is at its peak. It is clear that despite Benigno’s unforgiving behavior, Marco still cared for him and is upset that Benigno’s unfulfilled desires drove him to commit an act of such desperate proportions.

The conclusion in Act XI thus functions as the film’s catharsis because it represents a resolving of the internal conflicts suffered by both Benigno and Marco. The spectator’s ability to see Alicia alive and well is rewarding because Benigno was never able to do so. In addition, the exchange between Alicia and Marco at the theatre is also rewarding because it suggests that Marco’s feelings of loss might be alleviated through a potential relationship with Alicia. In order to make the union of Alicia and Marco emotionally gratifying, the plot had to manipulate the story in a very specific way. Everyone loves a happy ending in which two people find one another and fall in love, however, a happy ending can often appear too predictable and thus too implausible for the audience to truly feel affected by it. With Talk to Her, the story has been told in such a way as to generate the kind of concern and expectation necessary to make the ending exactly what the audience wanted to see, and this speaks volumes about Pedro Almodóvar’s skills as both a filmmaker and a storyteller.

Talk to Her is an important film because it provides the spectator with an opportunity to better understand his or her own viewing tendencies. It suggests that when a film has an unconventional element, it is in the audience’s best interest to pay attention. The unconventional element in Talk to Her is clearly its narrative structure. By paying closer attention to the narrative structure and what Pedro Almodóvar is attempting to accomplish with it, we as an audience can better understand our own relationship to the film. While it is possible to enjoy Talk to Her without picking apart and examining its entire plot construction, what you can take away from an analysis like this one is a stronger appreciation for cinema and its incomparable ability to manipulate human perception and emotion.

*2003 Academy Award Winner for Best Original Screenplay