Creaturely Life and Bodily Expressivity In

Bodily Expressivity and Creaturely Life in Pedro Almodóvar's Talk to Her

ADRIAN ANAGNOST

The opening sequence of Pedro Almodóvar’s film Talk to Her (2002) includes no talking, only music, seemingly irrational movement, dancing—blindly—and tears. On stage, a robust red- headed woman and a pale, grey-haired woman cast their bodies around a space filled with haphazardly strewn chairs. The younger woman’s dancing often resembles elegant running, and her quick, athletic movements compel an anxious male performer to thrust chairs out of her way as she crisscrosses the space. The smaller, older female dancer follows and repeats her movements a few steps behind. In contrast to the red-haired woman’s stricken expressions and closed eyes, the older woman appears serene. Even while mimicking violent motions—as when the younger dancer flings herself against a padded wall—the grey-haired woman moves Fig. 1 (opposite) Performance of Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller (1978), showing male performer moving chairs out of female dancer’s path (2:32).

Fig. 2 (this page) Performance of Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller (1978), showing repetition of red- haired dancer’s movements by older dancer (3:05).

in a quieter, more delicate manner. Are the man’s actions helpful, clearing a path for the red-haired dancer? Or does his “assistance” force her into a specific path through the maze of chairs? Is the younger woman sorrowful and is the grey-haired dancer at peace, or does the former’s intense expressivity signify a fierceness of will that the passive older woman lacks? In the audience of Cafe Müller, two men sit side-by-side watching the performance. One cries silently, while the other shifts his attention back and forth from the dancers on stage to the tear-stained face of the man in the audience beside him. , is best translated as the command, This sequence introduces themes that recur throughout the film: doubling and repetition, performing women and spectatorial men, nonverbal, bodily expressivity, and the indeterminacy of communication without words. In light of the title’s admonition Hable con ella to “talk with her,”1 viewers may expect the film to insinuate that bodily expressions provide only precarious knowledge about other beings in contrast to seemingly more transparent modes of verbal exchange. Yet throughout the film, talking turns out to be a tragically insufficient condition for reciprocal communication. Nurse and caretaker Benigno constantly talks “with” the comatose dancer Alicia, interacting The film’s Spanish title, The film’s “Talk with her.” “Talk with her as if her motionless body and unwilled facial expressions convey rational 1

often, though not always, associated with characters in contemplative modes. contemplative in characters with associated always, not though often, the which in but body, the of merely not expressivity of form a is expressivity Creaturely

she performs or is somehow active, as Alicia is after emerging from her coma. Blue is is Blue coma. her from emerging after is Alicia as active, somehow is or performs she expressivity. bodily to identical not is expressivity creaturely Santner, For xxi. Ibid.,

into a systematic analysis of this strategy, red is often attached to a female character as as character female a to attached often is red strategy, this of analysis systematic a into

Ibid., xviii. Ibid.,

4 foregrounds blue and red as the two primary colors. Without going going Without colors. primary two the as red and blue foregrounds Her to Talk films, his of

The use of lush primary color is also a key cinematic strategy for Almodóvar. Like many many Like Almodóvar. for strategy cinematic key a also is color primary lush of use The xv. Ibid.,

6 3

inherent to the experience of shame. Ibid., 23. Ibid., shame. of experience the to inherent 12. Press), Chicago

body is experienced as both intimate and foreign. See Santner on the creatureliness creatureliness the on Santner See foreign. and intimate both as experienced is body of University The (Chicago: Sebald Benjamin, Rilke, Life: Creaturely On Santner, Eric 2 become exceptions to the conventions of social encounters. Locked within their their within comas, theyare restricted tocreaturelyLocked life,amodeofexistencewherein conven encounters. social of conventions the to and exceptions symbolization become human of modes “normal” in participate cannot they Lydia, and sociosexual organization.” ity, ofourneighbor, afigureexceedstheavailable categoriesof whose‘queerness’ ing ethicalchallengeistoremain “opentothesingularity, thecreaturely expressiv tional humanexpressivity iscompromised ordenied.InSantner’s words, theresult and psyches register the ‘states of exception’ that punctuate the ‘normal’ run of of run ‘normal’ the social andpoliticallife.” punctuate that exception’ of ‘states the register psyches and ity through issues of spectatorship and performance, while the film mounts a parallel parallel a mounts film the while performance, and spectatorship of issues through ity Almodóvar’s narrative addresses thestatus ofAliciaandLydia’s creaturely expressiv have undergoneinmodernity.” radicaltransformations sure toatraumaticdimensionofpoliticalpowerandsocialbondswhosestructures the to human the animal attheverypointoftheirradicaldifference,” aconditionproducedof by“expo proximity peculiar “the is Santner, to according love. life, neighbor Creaturely and life creaturely of notions Santner’s Eric philosopher upon draws In analyzingtheaestheticandethicalconflictsthat Embodied Women andTalkative Men others. with engagement ethical and mutual for understanding sufficient proves mode neither however, verbal; and bodily expressivity both that be can argues film the narratively, and Formally interaction. of modes sive for women the whom theycare, with communicate to failures their and men talkative about film A has reunited withherprevious loverandplanstoleave Marco. facial expressions, bodilycues, guarantee not do communication. Before Lydia plungesintoacoma,Marco failstocomprehend her likewise Lydia lover bullfighter his with interactions journalist verbal hand, Marco’s other the On activity. sexual in partake to assumes consent Benigno wordless as Alicia’s disposition, this of limits problematic the reveals then film The expressivity. Alicia’s in confidence Benigno’s trust to come they Benigno’s that to such viewers manner acclimates Almodóvar film, the in Early responses. emotive and demands and resists symbolization, that is both inside and outside the ‘symbolic ‘symbolic the order.’”outside and inside both is that symbolization, both that resists and surplus a as demands itself presents world human the of piece “a when called being,” into existence human of dimension “a is life creaturely Santner, For comatose a in condition. existence human sustains medicine modern as social emerge that altered bonds radically the on focus to discussion Santner’s of aspect political the caj 3 For Santner, creaturely life is key to understanding “how human bodies bodies human “how understanding to key is life creaturely Santner, For Talk toHer 4 Since verbal discourse is denied to the comatose Alicia Alicia comatose the to denied is discourse verbal Since 5

interrogates thebalancebetweencorporeal anddiscur and verbalized desires to convey the news that she she that news the convey to desires verbalized Talk toHer 2 This paper sets to one side side one to sets paper This stages, this essay essay this stages, ------Fig. 3 Lydia in the bullfighting ring (10:31).

formal argument by foregrounding visual qualities of physical barriers.6 Like Lydia and Alicia’s blank, unintentionally expressive faces, the film’s recurring mirrors, windows, and screens often fail to The Faerie , in which fairy serve their intended purpose of providing visual entry into another realm. Instead, motifs of mirroring, opacity and transparency suggest the limitations of seemingly unambiguous communication. In turn, Lydia and Alicia act as extreme examples of the strangeness (New York: Dover, 2000), xviii, and problematized expressivity that Santner’s notion of creaturely life elucidates. A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Midsummer Night’s

By introducing the two main male characters as members of an The Fairy Queen audience watching Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller (1978), Almodóvar visually and narratively foregrounds themes of bodily expressivity,

spectatorship, and gender relations. The one-way communication 19, no. 2 (2005): 245n3. in this performance parallels the non-reciprocal nature of these ’s lyrics are taken from men’s relationship to the objects of their love, as well as viewers’ relationships to the characters on screen. The dance piece depicted in the film, known as “The Plaint,” are: “O Let me ever, ever weep, itself literally presents a male attempting to care for a female Marvels & Tales There is also a parallel between the film’s narrative and that of the Purcell opera. The Fairy Queen king Oberon’s enchantment of his wife Titania romanceforces herwith to an undergoass. anJust unwantedas Titania isan enchantment,blinded andAlicia forced is likewiseinto renderedsexual uncomplainingpassivityadvances inby the during face the oflong Benigno’s night of her coma. Almodóvar’s choice ofsuggests musicala parallel excerpt between the playfully cruel Oberon and the male film characters’ potentially malevolent attentiveness of section the of lyrics The themselves. to even strange expressivity their to their lovers, whoseQueen enchantments make / My eyes no more shall welcome sleep; / I’ll hidesigh, and sigh me my fromsoul / gone, away. gone, He’s he’s thehis loss deplore; / sightFor I of shall Day, / And never see him Henry more.” Purcell, quoted in Adriana Novoa, “Whose Talk Is It? Almodóvar and the Fairy Tale in Talk Her,” to body, and the lyrics of the accompanying music, taken from Henry 7 Purcell’s opera The Fairy Queen, allude to themes of blindness, 53 Fig. 4 Overhead view as Alicia receives a sponge bath from nurses (4:54). Note that the female nurse wears latex gloves, while Benigno works with bare hands.

Fig. 5 Following the sponge bath, Benigno draws a sheet over Alicia (6:25). chicago art journal volume 21 adrian anagnost transparency and violation within sociosexual relationships.7 In Cafe Müller, the red- haired dancer remains verbally unresponsive, but her bodily expressions, including On the hunched shoulders, a furrowed brow, closed eyes, and rigid arms, offer tantalizing (Chicago: suggestions of emotional experience. As in the film outside of the ballet, bodily pos- tures and movements are taken for granted as emotional markers. Furthermore, the by means of memory- of means by slightly delayed repetition of one female dancer’s movements by the other female dancer sets the stage for Lydia’s doubling of Alicia’s descent into a coma. The

female dancers’ closed eyes and ostensible lack of awareness of their surroundings understood allegorize the lack of conscious engagement with the world that comes to charac- terize Lydia and Alicia. Like the male performer on stage, the film’s characters and viewers are left to consider potentially unwilled bodily expressivity, or what Santner calls “creaturely openness” to the world, as the only way to ascertain these women’s thoughts and desires. ], while the other is Ding While Talk to Her foregrounds the problem of expressivity throughout, Lydia and [

Alicia remain the most conspicuously inaccessible to others. The film challenges Thing each character to respond to the comatose women, as their humanity recedes into Gesammelte Werke, Nachtragsband: Texte aus den Jahren 1885-1938 brute corporality. Santner’s notion of neighbor love addresses just such an experience of encountering beings whose otherness seems to limit ethical interpersonal exchange. He writes: persistence as a work.” Freud, (Frankfurt: Fischer, 1987), 426-27 (Santner translation). Quoted in Eric Santner, Psychotheology of Everyday Life: Reflections Santner’s. 2001), 80. All emphases are University of Chicago Press, on Freud and Rosenzweig

The being whose proximity we are enjoined to inhabit and open to according ] ], its to the imperative of neighbor love is always a subject at odds with itself, split by

thoughts, desires, fantasies and pleasures it can never fully claim as its own and imponiert [ that in some sense both do and do not belong to it.8

The condition of being comatose places Lydia and Alicia in this type of situation; impresses not only do the women become strangers to their loved ones, but they also seem to be at odds with their own corporeal condition. Almodóvar’s choice to have these two women’s occupations intrinsically bound up with their bodily expressivity—as a dancer and a female bullfighter—makes their bodily stasis all the more dramatic durch durch konstantes konstantes Gefüge as the two lie in comas. Repeated lingering shots of Alicia nude and corpselike, for example, draw attention to this condition. The camera’s bird’s-eye view hov- ers above nurses drawing a sheet over Alicia’s body, aestheticizing the procedure and suggesting these characters’ own emotional distance from the mute being with whom they interact. In this way, Almodóvar’s film stages a confrontation between most people’s reluctance to engage with Lydia and Alicia as people and Benigno’s , xii. The reference to Titania enamored with the ass is again a

refusal to think of Alicia and Lydia as strange or inaccessible in any way. ] as both a material and spiritual entity: “And so the complex of the Creaturely The difficulty of comprehending the comatose Lydia and Alicia in their uncommuni- cative and mute thingness is balanced by memories of bodily expressivity projected For Santner, neighbor love is rooted in Freudian discussions of the neighbor neighbor the of discussions Freudian in rooted is love Santner, neighbor Santner, For Nebenmensch fruitful parallel, since she awoke from own desires. her enchantment to experience revulsion at her [ neighbor divides into two constituent parts, the first through of the which constancy of its composition [ onto their typically slack faces and bodies.9 Yet, lest we assume that a subject’s ethi- 8 9 cal treatment of a neighbor is rooted in perceived similarities to remembered bodily 55

verbalization that is emphasized by Almodóvar’s use of intertitles to mark the repeated repeated the mark to intertitles of use Almodóvar’s by emphasized is that verbalization

xix. Creaturely Santner,

The silent film plays a crucial role in emphasizing silence, bodily expressivity, and and expressivity, bodily silence, emphasizing in role crucial a plays film silent The

1–3. Creaturely Santner, see

though, as a nurse, he is surely aware of the material implications of his actions. his of implications material the of aware surely is he nurse, a as though,

On man as condemned to “the ceaseless production of mediating representations,” representations,” mediating of production ceaseless “the to condemned as man On

12 Alicia could also enjoy. It is never clear what Benigno knows and understands about sex, sex, about understands and knows Benigno what clear never is It enjoy. also could Alicia

diegetic sequence. diegetic believe to like would Benigno imply, edits film’s the that, pleasure, of level a suggest to

and Marco and Alicia appear on blank or curtained screens interspersed within the the within interspersed screens curtained or blank on appear Alicia and Marco and seems expression facial Amparo’s Still, 5. n. 24 2009), Routledge, York: (New Eaton W. A.

the film, the paired names of Marco and Lydia, Benigno and Alicia, Marco and Benigno, Benigno, and Marco Alicia, and Benigno Lydia, and Marco of names paired the film, the ed. , Her to Talk in Immoralism,” Almodóvar’s “ Eaton, W. A. consent. give cannot woman

and doubled encounters of pairs of characters. In addition to the title at the opening of of opening the at title the to addition In characters. of pairs of encounters doubled and sleeping a since rape, a constitutes also scene film silent the out, points Eaton W. A. As 10 the same visible manifestation of bodily expressivity as evidence for Alicia’s erotic erotic Alicia’s for desires? evidence as expressivity bodily of manifestation take to visible same reluctance the own her or his understand viewer a can how the of heroine, film agency erotic silent the accept can one viewer, a as If, states? inner their of sions as expressivity portrayed incinema,where thecharacterscannotrespond toviewers’apprehen bodily upon point vantage own their understand to are then how viewers misguided, is pleasure Alicia’s of understanding Benigno’s If Alicia. sion, Alicia’s of ecstasy withviewers’ownpositionvis-à-visthesilentfilmheroine and,byexten perceptions visual Benigno’s doubles thus Almodóvar it. of unreliable impressions potentially Benigno’s are understand to given are viewers silent what a but of film, footage actual pleasure—not erotic of version cinematic a of imagined an memory viewers gives Almodóvar act, this committing of Benigno Instead portraying watched. recently has Benigno film silent a of plot the to ecstasy, according erotic of throes the in is woman second This mouth. woman’s a identical of nearly image a to expression facial Alicia’s from cuts Almodóvar has Alicia, Benigno with sex understand, later viewers as that, moment the At a of character. memory a cinematic memory—albeit a such just on predicated is Alicia with sexual encounter Benigno’s counterexample. cautionary a provides Almodóvar experiences, automatic bodily responses, Lydia and Alicia seem to have no reflective mediation mediation standing betweenthemandimmersioninbodilyexperience. reflective no have to seem Alicia and Lydia responses, to bodily restricted automatic and death to close Hovering experiences. bodily their and upon surroundings speculate or reflect to unable as Lydia and Alicia of pair comatose the In contrasttotheactivespectatorshipofMarco andBenigno,thefilmportrays traverses the boundaries of human and nonhuman forms of life than a specifically specifically a than human way”ofbeing. life of forms nonhuman and human of boundaries that the dimension a traverses “less is creatureliness such that insists Santner realm Yet the in human. the remain of they whether is, that unconscious, an possess even characters to Her Lydia and Alicia are presentedfilm, ascorporeal, almostanimal-likebeings.Thecore conflictof the in males the of experience reflective to and contrast In discursive the experience. social human “normal” to relation an in as state defines Santner exceptional what constituting life, creaturely enjoy fully most thus acters liness that should ethically govern interactions with others. others. with interactions govern ethically should that liness Alicia as fully human, but viewers’ struggles to recognize Benigno’s humanness humanness that thruststhe problem ofcreaturely lifetothefore.Benigno’s In response tothestrange recognize to struggles viewers’ but human, and fully Lydia as recognize Alicia to attempts relation characters’ viewers’ the merely with not do is to It much Benigno. to have ship to out turns it but alone, of Alicia and conditions the Lydia to applicable seems only first at life creaturely of film, notion the Santner’s throughout expressivity verbal maintain characters male the Because caj , it would seem then, is precisely the uncertainty over whether the female female the whether over uncertainty the precisely is then, seem would it , 10 Almodóvaroffers noeasyanswers. 13 Lydia andAliciathusprovide alimitcasefortheneighbor 11

12 Thefemalechar Talk ------Fig. 6 The silent film heroine, ostensibly in the throes of passion (1:08:25).

Fig. 7 Alicia’s expression the night that Benigno impregnates her (1:08:34). This image follows a cut from the silent film heroine’s face.

of W. G. Sebald. G. W. of

psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud, the philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig, and the novels novels the and Rosenzweig, Franz of philosophy the Freud, Sigmund of psychoanalysis but Santner also locates the concept within modern ethical thought, such as the the as such thought, ethical modern within concept the locates also Santner but

82. Neighbor love is rooted in Judeo-Christian monotheism, monotheism, Judeo-Christian in rooted is love Neighbor 82. Psychotheology, Santner, 14 world.” to also but Other, the Other’sthe of touchofmadness,tothewayinwhichOtherisdisoriented memories and hopes, values, thoughts, the to oneself simply “not exposing requires relationship ethical of type this According achieving us. Santner, in to and others in strange is what recognizing on based relationship humans ethical among an love, neighbor invokes Santner expressivity, creaturely of ness offers the promise of augmented vision and a transparent window into another’s another’s into window transparent a and vision augmented of promise the offers By manipulating spatialrelationships and technologicalmediation,Almodóvar openness. creaturely than rather capacity human reflection the for to linked is life, creaturely of account Santner’s in that, tatorship sion alone.Themalecharacters inthefilmostensiblydemonstrateamodeofspec attempt toaccountforthewomen’s innerlivesthrough recourse tobodilyexpres men the as apparent more the all becomes relationships body’s the characters’ the in speech, role of power the lose women the Once ring. and bullfighting studio, the in dance Lydia her in Alicia expression: bodily wordless by characterized fields desires. their This positionisinitiallyestablishedbythewomen’s inproject occupations asperformers characters male the which on surfaces become Marco, women and these Benigno of eyes the through Lydia and Alicia presents Almodóvar As life. inner his about reveal Alicia towards actions later his thetic andethicalbeingwhotrulybelievesinLydia andAlicia’s innerliveswithwhat film and Marco viewers alikestruggletoreconcile theirinitialperceptions ofBenignoasanempa time, same the At Marco. and Benigno with associated become and jected images.Asthefilmprogresses, thesedevices shiftawayfrom AliciaandLydia on or barriers) television screens, yetAlmodóvaroftenblursorobscures thereflected andpro prison windows, hospital windshields, car windows, glass studio through (dance mirrors, in appear Characters comprehension. and to as clarity way a visual such deny in them employs he but reflection, or that transmission clear surfaces and promise materials physical on focuses Almodóvar particular, In between characters. communication hinder that obstructions physical and opaqueness, ing, presentingmance whileformally analogiesoffalsetransparency, unreliable mirror The film’s narrativecentersaround themesofspectatorship,voyeurism,andperfor Modes ofSpectatorship love. of neighbor and terms life in creaturely productively understood be also can Benigno, impenetrable ambivalently to elicitinviewers,notjusttowards thecomatosecharacters,butalsomore from away fallen stateofaffairs,the normal toBenigno.Thesympatheticresponse Almodóvarworks have to seem merely who Lydia, and Alicia as such characters from caj 14 Neighborlovebecomesamuchmore difficult task indeed,whenturned ------Fig. 8 Alicia seen through the window of her dance studio (45:43).

Fig. 9 Benigno watches Alicia from his window across the street (45:44). 60 including the demise of a love affair and public slights by a former lover, all emerge emerge all lover, former from themouthofgossipingtelevisioninterviewer. a Eveninthisvenue,suppos by slights public and affair love a of demise the interview, including television her during revealed details personal the to since however, ability Lydia’s speak, upon dependent not is accessibility This Benigno. to is Alicia than initially intimately more even Marco to accessible seem her makes distance, fame Lydia’s physical her Despite country. the across crowds before public performing her of life part is television on appearance Lydia’s one bullfighters, as female notoriety Spain’s of gained Having television. of apparatus technological the filtered is through encounter Marco’s glass, of sheets by afforded transparency proximate Like Benigno,Marco first perceives Lydia butinstead ofthe inmediatedform, in occurs already that the filmmediumitself. framing the replicates and spectatorship voyeuristic attention of acts viewers’ to draws both Almodóvar Alicia, and Benigno separate that windows Alicia of view and theotherdancers.Bymultiplyingvisualframingdevices,likeedgesof unrestricted largely a with Benigno provide windows glass plate ceiling onto down looks Alicia andthestreet below. Locatedaboveground level,thedancestudio’sBenigno floor-to- which from space, private elevated, Alicia an of in view place initial takes Benigno’s states. inner divergent characters’ two the on further insisting thereby memories, Alicia’s from distinct studio the of images thus Benigno’s keeps Almodóvar view. of point her be to seems what from studio Alicia’s allowed enter viewers to are interior studio the of memories “her” to head the Alicia’s from of cuts back camera the when scene, later a in Only window. studio Benigno’s the on of side remain also viewers crucially, but, studio, dance the to window tained shows Benignofrom thesideandthenhisbird’s-eye viewfrom asmallpaned,cur to belonging the dancestudioacross thestreet, whereother Aliciaspendshourspracticing.Thecamera the and mother, eccentric overbearing, his with shares he apartment, which his in one windows: two through her sees he accurately, More through Alicia windows. sees first example, for Benigno, display. on are women domestic the their spaces, in ensconced remain men the while case, each In knowledge. mate ingly transparent barriers,orthrough television,which offers asuggestionofinti seem by whether mediated, are Alicia and Lydia with encounters initial respective communication femaleandanobservingmale.EvenMarcoof between theperforming andBenigno’s difficulties the confirms film the however, Ultimately, state. inner her personal life. Though mediated by television, Lydia’s fame provides access to to access provides fame Lydia’s television, by mediated Though life. about personal questions her entertain to refusal Lydia’s and interviewer between intrusive grasping, relationship the the demonstrating physically legs, her to the with clinging set off stalks interviewer eventually Lydia demands. interviewer intrusive inner the of that display states public the refuses she speak, can Lydia which from platform a edly caj - - - - Fig. 10 Lydia attempts to leave the television show set, while the interviewer tries to drag her back to the couch (9:04).

private information about her emotional life and offers the illusion of access to her inner states.

As the television interviewer pries into Lydia’s personal life, Almodóvar exploits visual attributes of television to afford Marco the illusion of intimacy with her. The camera zooms in for an extreme close-up of Lydia’s face, while also using the framing to give subtle clues as to the limits of that proximity. Lydia’s face first appears larger than life in the midst of Marco’s domestic space, but the camera’s close-up is emphasized as a remote image through its double framing: within the television and again within the doorway of Marco’s apartment. Sitting on the interviewer’s couch in an artfully arranged pseudo-domestic space, Lydia seems to occupy a space contiguous with Marco’s living room. Her attempt to leave the screen is initially thwarted by the television interviewer, who draws her back into the frame and thus into Marco’s line of vision as if into his physical presence, all while revealing intimate details of Lydia’s life to Marco and other audience members. When Marco and Lydia begin their relationship soon after, this intensely personal information has already been communicated to Marco through the medium of television and celebrity culture.

Marco’s introduction to Lydia thus to some extent parallels Benigno’s to Alicia. Yet while the dance studio window and the television screen both reveal and conceal 61

, 29. , Her

Talk to to Talk Eaton, in ,” Her to Talk Almodóvar’s in Angels and “Devils Pippin, B. Robert

16 directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 2002. Almodóvar, Pedro by directed

, , Her to Talk In quiero.’” ‘sí cuerpo, su de parte ninguna con decir puede no “Alicia 15 have a deep bond…that she is not so much in a ‘persistent vegetative state,’ as she she as state,’ vegetative ‘persistent a in much so not is she Alicia bond…that and he deep a that have imagines clearly “Benigno explains, Pippin Robert disposition. philosopher As benign harmless, a suggests even namesake very Benigno’s sympathy viewers. instill in to him portrays carefully film Almodóvar’s actions, despicable wise he time same the at but cannot understandwhydesiring herashiswifeiswrong. DespiteBenigno’s other interests, and hobbies with being cognizant fully recognition a as his her of establish her with conversations his and body Alicia’s to His cruelty. ministrations selfish and kindness empathetic deeply of mixture also witless but character’s Alicia his towards action Benigno’s of depravity legal and social emphasizing by the only tension not this highlights Almodóvar love? neighbor of task approach can difficult the viewers film that existence creaturely Benigno’s through it is Or life? castigates him, replying, “because Alicia cannot say with any part of her body, ‘I ‘I body, her of part do.’” any with say cannot Alicia “because replying, Marco him, Alicia, castigates comatose the marry to desire his expresses Benigno with After world. interaction the of means sole her remains body her where state a in converses Alicia with successfully he that fantasy Benigno’s given problematic, latter The particularly is communication. corporeal or verbal either of primacy the denies Ultimately, film the assertions. verbal with contend also should he when responses Alicia’s bodily gauging on reliance Benigno’s and words, her or expression bodily Lydia’s Her to Talk The Gendered Creature and verbal the to shown is what visual ratherthantheembodied. limiting necessarily while view privileged a of sion shape techniques viewers’ perceptions offilmcharacters’innerlives.Ineachcaseheoffers theillu cinematic how visible makes Almodóvar and way, this camera In interviewer’s Almodóvar’s. the vision—both camera’s the removal from willed a presence but bodily her dumbness, of creaturely into to withdrawal a refusal not Her involves relationships. participate spectatorial of awareness an an implies in situation television on interview presence her but spectator, a be not may Lydia dialogue. out conveys typically also verbal communication,albeitone-sided,whereas windowsoffer visualaccesswith Television pedestrians. passing by do watched dancers be the to floor, expect second not the on being in: look look to to dancers passersby the for and way a as studio out the enter to light permit to way contrary, a as the on much as Alicia, exists views Benigno which facts through public window The certain to life. her about participation her restrict to wishes she own but her to act, consents Lydia performative that suggests Almodóvar television, vary. on appearing spectatorship By of conventions medium’s each within, presented women the 15

Does Alicia’s creaturely existence preclude her participation in normal social social normal in participation her preclude existence creaturely Alicia’s Does caj stages a central paradox between Marco’s inability to comprehend either either comprehend to inability Marco’s between paradox central a stages - - - chicago art journal volume 21 adrian anagnost

is simply someone as alone as he is, that the world he lives in is almost as dark and impenetrable as hers.”16

Benigno’s initial claim of harmlessness and his declaration of love for Alicia seem as unreliable as his taking her lax, parted lips to be consent to a sexual act, yet these verbal and bodily expressions cannot simply be taken as false. By the time film viewers see flashbacks of Benigno following Alicia down the street and gaining entry into her home as she showers, Almodóvar has already established him as a sympathetic character. Benigno’s careful tending to his patients and his insistence on the comatose Alicia’s rich inner life—which takes place earlier in the film sequence, though later in diegetic time—has already accustomed viewers to regard Benigno as a trustworthy character. Almodóvar works to divulge the inner states of characters that others find unreadable through flashbacks to Alicia’s life before the coma and to Benigno’s unusual upbringing. Film viewers may thus assume they possess a privileged point of view on these characters’ thoughts and desires, but the plot still offers surprises. Both speech and bodily expression must be understood as part of a whole set of circumstances and conditions. Yet if verbal expression must finally take precedence, it is only because its bodily equivalent seems to remain out of conscious control. Almodóvar’s film makes manifest this philosophical problem by foregrounding limit cases in which communication is one-sided and verbal communication in particular is superseded by automatic and ostensibly sincere bodily expression.

If Benigno’s empathy were enough, if understanding could rest on substituting bodily for verbal communication, not only would the violation of Alicia come to be a more contestable incident, but Almodóvar could be seen as falling into a perni- cious dichotomy of man as culture versus woman as nature. There are, in fact, suggestions in the film of this dichotomy, or of man as active versus woman as passive, where women are mysterious realms to be explored. This condition is quite literally depicted in Benigno’s imaginings of the fantastical silent film interlude when a min- iature man crawls into the vagina of his lover, her legs shown like canyon walls—a silent landscape available to male conquest. Almodóvar risks further perpetuating this dichotomy by constructing a film narrative that relies on male verbosity and reflection versus female embodiment and performance. Is he simply repeating what Santner calls creaturely “enjoyment of self-being in otherness” as an experiential relationship of the world uniquely available to women?17 Almodóvar offers a coun- 2. terexample in Benigno, whose own beliefs run counter to these dichotomies since he believes fully in reflection even within mute embodiment. Moreover, Almodóvar Creaturely positions Benigno as a male who seems to embody a conventionally feminine inabil- Santner, Santner, 17

Pippin, “Devils and Angels,” 36. Angels,” and “Devils Pippin, 18 perfectly mirrors the profound isolation of his life: in a glass cage, able to see others others see to able cage, but almostascutoff from themashisbelovedAlicia.” glass a in life: his of isolation profound the now mirrors perfectly environment “Benigno’s that concludes Pippin speaks. he until state apparent inner not is his but visible, is body Benigno’s glass, of maze a in bodily of Trapped expressivity. privileging a in result however, not, does case this in transparency Visual clarity. complete with other each see to able Rain only ahumorous respite thatreferences themicrophone problems of the exactly at wrongoff moments,amplifyingherownvoicewhenMarco speaks.Thesceneoffers not and on between toggles then and microphone her initially use who to glass, refuses behind employee prison female a with communicate Marco to jail, struggles Segovia the At information. of conveyors bodily insufficient and are verbal both expression which in film, the of bind double the of demonstration visual Near thecloseof Doubling and Transparency gender. to ing ity tocommunicateviawords, thwartingeasycharacterizationsofexperienceaccord Benigno. Images of the two men seem to merge on the reflective glass that divides divides that glass reflective the on merge to seem men two the and of Marco Images between Benigno. relationship the to Lydia and Alicia with from interactions attention shifts characters’ motifs visual and arcs narrative of doubling the the which in visible way makes further cinematography Almodóvar’s scene, prison the During take to resolution a with his ownlife. later but beard, scruffy a and hair unkempt at with anguish: simply own first, his embodies and her with contact for desperation both his Benigno verbalizes Alicia, to access Without mind. of state Benigno’s offering to to access closest come viewers Almodóvar that scene climactic this in the is it and throughout film, entire condition creaturely his mirrors shift This inhabitants. its with nicate the Instead, glass makeshim,likeAlicia,visibletotheworld,butwithlimited abilitytocommu Alicia. from estranged simply not is Benigno cut is Ultimately, Alicia others? beloved from his off way the parallel inaccessibility his does or beloved Alicia, his creaturely including everyone, from off cut Benigno is ambiguity: an contains ment sion of intimacy but only a unidirectional flow of information, Benigno’s final phone phone final Benigno’s information, of flow unidirectional a only but intimacy of sion In alone. another twisted doubling,justasthetelevision broadcast ofLydia offeredcommunication theillu visual by elucidated be to fail states inner impenetrable This material. scene thusmakesvisibleBenigno’s doublingofthecomatosewomen,ashissimilarly transparent be should what by masked thus is Benigno Lydia Alicia, comatose and the Like other. each from and cubicles visitors’ other the from them

, but it also offers a metaphor for the difficulty of communicating despite being being despite communicating of difficulty the for metaphor a offers also it but , caj Talk to Her to Talk , the strangely transparent prison interior offers a offers interior prison transparent strangely the , 18 However, Pippin’s state Singing in the the in Singing - - - - Fig. 11 The images of Benigno and Marco’s faces merge on the glass of Segovia prison (1:28:29).

message to Marco denies dialogue at the moment the two men share their great- est intimacy. Benigno’s entry into the glass cage denies physical contact but marks the point at which verbal communication between the two men takes on greater complexity and depth, as Benigno finally describes his emotions about Alicia and, eventually, his decision to end his life.

By merging the images of Marco and Benigno on the panes of prison glass, Almodóvar emphasizes the connection between these men. However, at the same time, he shows how Marco quite literally begins to take over Benigno’s life, moving into his apartment and encountering Alicia at a dance performance. The opening performance of Café Müller thus reflects not only the delayed repetition of the lives of Alicia and Lydia, but also Marco’s repetition of Benigno’s life once Benigno himself is gone. Yet Almodóvar’s doubling is never uncomplicated: he stages the initial dance performance encounter between Marco and Benigno, who are sitting side by side, while Alicia must turn away from the stage to acknowledge Marco’s presence behind her. This active assertion of interest fully marks Alicia’s emergence from passivity. Furthermore, although the closing scene mirrors the opening scene with

Stephen Mitchell (New York: Vintage, 1984). 1984). Vintage, York: (New Mitchell Stephen

, 269. , Concepts Fundamental

h Slce Per o Rie Mra Rilke Maria Rainer of Poetry Selected The Rilke, Maria Rainer outward.” never , trans. trans. ,

of beings withheld, the animal essentially cannot have world at all.” Heidegger, Heidegger, all.” at world have cannot essentially animal the withheld, beings of

knows. // And we: spectators, always, everywhere, / turned toward the world of objects, objects, of world the toward turned / everywhere, always, spectators, we: And // knows.

Heidegger writes, “in its captivation, as having the possibility for the manifestness manifestness the for possibility the having as captivation, its “in writes, Heidegger

23 // . . . that pure / unseparated element which one breathes / without desire and endlessly endlessly and desire without / breathes one which element unseparated / pure that . . . //

have / before us that pure space into which flowers / endlessly open open endlessly / flowers which into space pure that us before / have we do day, single a University Press, 2004), 59. 2004), Press, University

] looks out into the Open. // Never, not for for not Never, // Open. the into out looks ] Kreatur die [ world natural the eyes its all “With , trans. Kevin Attell (Stanford: Stanford Stanford (Stanford: Attell Kevin trans. , Animal and Man Open: The Agamben, Giorgio

or creaturely life via Rilke’s poetry, and a key text for both is Rilke’s eighth eighth Rilke’s is both for text key a and poetry, Rilke’s via life creaturely or : :

66 Elegy Duino

Ibid., 239. Ibid.,

21 primary point of overlap between Santner and Heidegger is that both discuss this animal animal this discuss both that is Heidegger and Santner between overlap of point primary

Creaturely Santner, in Quoted Santner). by modified (translation 152 1998), Press, Press, 2001), 269. 2001), Press, The 6. ,

, trans. André Schuwer and Richar Rojcewicz (Bloomington: Indiana University University Indiana (Bloomington: Rojcewicz Richar and Schuwer André trans. , Parmenides , trans. William McNeill and Nicholas Walker (Indianapolis: Indiana University University Indiana (Indianapolis: Walker Nicholas and McNeill William trans. , Solitude

Here, Heidegger is responding to the poetry of Rainer Marie Rilke. Martin Heidegger, Heidegger, Martin Rilke. Marie Rainer of poetry the to responding is Heidegger Here, The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Finitude, World, Metaphysics: of Concepts Fundamental The Heidegger, Martin 19 20 caj unwilled andnotabletobewilled,thustrulyhuman: ness thatisnotreflective andintentional.Instead,opennessissomething As Agambenexplicates,whatisatissueforHeideggeran animalopen ture,’ i.e.,theanimal,andacorresponding animalization ofman.” existence. Hedecriestheresulting “monstrous humanization ofthe‘crea human basic fettering curse a remain thought representational spectatorial, unreflective animallifewithfreedom, rejecting theideathathumanmodesof conflating of critical is Heidegger Agamben. Giorgio and Heidegger Martin by broached “openness” animal and human of modes various about ments is usefultoconsiderhowSantner’s philosophicalapproach responds toargu it film, Almodóvar’s analyzing in life creaturely of relevance the Toappreciate Creaturely LifeandNeighborLove of modes communication. available the of terms in footing equal on spectators, as both spectator, but and performer as not meet Marco and Alicia meeting, fateful a that cannot bewilled. Locked inthe captivation of autonomic nervous sys is closer toanimal opennessas world the to and others to openness presumed women’s the Lydia, Alicia of and perceptions Benigno’s to regards With sharing. or revelation tional Human openness,then,must beopennessas tion ofpossibilityforanimalBeing. state,butrathertheverycondi captivation isnotatemporaryorpermanent animal unconsciousness, and consciousness between state indeterminate an as captivation of experience human the resembles somewhat condition this While captivation. of condition a by structured is Being animal Heidegger, relationship with the world] is the the is world] the with relationship instinctual of sort [a captivation in open Being essence. its in [openness] open poverty ofanimalBeing.Heexplainsthat,“thepossesses…being- relative the from distinct fundamentally as Being human of aspect forming Being andlimitsopennesstotheworld,Heideggerseesreflective, world- human pure pollutes that quality additive an as spectatorship reflective of concealing itsowndisinhibitor,concealing itisclosedinatotalopacity. kind of human knowledge; on the other, insofar as it is not any capable of dis than openness intense and spellbinding more a is captivation hand, one the On rather, nonknowledge. knowledge—or, the mystical of recall paradoxes ways some in which poles, opposite two between here seems oscillate to Heidegger nondisconcealment…. a in open is it other: the nor one neither is it better, open–or, not and open once at is animal The nondisconcealment essential possession 21

disconcealment , an instinctual condition condition instinctual an , oftheanimal.” 22 —as inten 19 Instead Instead 20 - For ------chicago art journal volume 21 adrian anagnost

tem responses to the world, Lydia and Alicia cannot choose to withhold their Talk Must manifestness; they become locked in the total opacity of spellbinding animal openness.23 If bodily expressivity is mere instinct, according to this logic, it cannot then be taken as the foundation for ethical human sociability.

Yet, as Agamben builds upon Heidegger, human Being is not a state of unin- terrupted reflection. Instead, one is rendered human through the process , 79. of awakening to one’s own entrancement, which encompasses both animal captivation and human boredom.24 In a literal sense, Almodóvar’s film shows

Alicia awakening to discover her own entrancement, in the form of her four Talk to Her years in a coma, though she is not immediately made aware of the unin- tended pregnancy that brought her to consciousness.25 As Agamben expli- cates Heidegger, this awakening to one’s own entrancement is furthermore an awareness of and insistence upon continued openness to others who

remain resolutely closed and opaque. Interpreted in this way, the character Sons, 1969). Charles Scribner’s (New York:

who ultimately awakens from entrancement is not Alicia but Marco. While , 7. See also Stanley Cavell, “Knowing and Acknowledging,” in Marco fails to adopt this openness towards Lydia’s opacity, the return of in body the of role crucial the emphasizes also Freeland Cynthia 50. ,

Lydia’s former lover spurs him to follow Benigno’s lead in remaining open Creaturely Talk to Her

towards Alicia’s opacity. :“The idea that subjectification involves the animation of a body and communication George M. Wilson, “Rapport, Rupture, and Rape: On Pedro Almodovar’s Talk to Her,” in Santner, Santner, Eaton, Her to through the body’s movements is clearly exemplified inThese the arts arts reinforce of the ballet idea that and understanding bullfighting. another person as a thansubject involves just more magical mind-to-mind “Nothing telepathyis Simple,” in Eaton, Cynthia Freeland, between two Cartesian thinking substances.” We Mean What We Say? As the film ends, it seems that Marco’s continued openness to Benigno most 26 27 contributes to Marco’s own awakening. By ending the film with an encounter between Alicia and Marco, Almodóvar suggests further efforts in this

vein. Instead of doubling the initial encounters between Marco and Lydia or All about

Benigno and Alicia, this final meeting repeats Benigno’s opening encounter ,” in with Marco at Café Müller. In lieu of a male watching a female performer, both Alicia and Marco are spectators at the dance performance. Crucially, Talk to Her Marco’s tears become the object of Alicia’s attention during an intermis- sion. The tables are turned, and it is the male Marco’s bodily expressiv- . ity that opens him to Alicia’s verbal inquiry. Just as the comatose Alicia has 19, no. 2 (2005): 224–48, and Despina awakened, so too does Marco emerge from his own entrancement. Has his The Open ,The Woods–reaffirms this reference to the openness toward Benigno in fact paved the way for this final awakening, the possibility of friendship with Alicia? El Bosque El , ed. Brad Epps and Despina Kakoudaki (Minneapolis: How, too, should characters communicate going forward following the Marvels & Tales

repeated failures of various modes of interaction? As George Wilson claims of ,” in as a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Among others, Talk to Her, “the success or failure of shared understanding between charac- , 11–12. See also Agamben, ters turns upon whether meaningful visual or tactile contact has been estab- Talk to Her lished and upon whether or not the contact is mutually acknowledged.”26 Talk to Her However, if verbal acknowledgment is insufficient or unreliable, embodiment Creaturely is similarly ineffective. No form of an unachievable, utterly transparent speech Santner, Santner, Inconsidering thecoma formasa ofentrancement, itistelling that several commentators have addressed see Pippin, “Devils and the Fairy Angels,” Tale in Adriana Novoa, Kakoudaki, “Intimate Strangers: Melodrama and “WhoseCoincidence in Talk Is It? Almodóvar: A Almodóvar Passion for Cinema and University of Minnesota Press, 2009), reside– 193-240.Lydia and Alicia which in clinic Kakoudaki points out that the name Kakoudaki, “Indimate Strangers,” 228. sleeping beauty story. of the or bodily expressivity could ensure the ethical treatment of others. As Santner 24 25 67

Ibid., 30–31. Ibid.,

. xii Creaturely Santner,

29 Marie Rilke. Marie

Again, Santner elaborates such notions of creaturely life through the poetry of Rainer Rainer of poetry the through life creaturely of notions such elaborates Santner Again, 28 way that is responsive, indeed beholden to, what and how they are—in a way…that way…that a are—in necessarily includesthepossibilityofbeingrightorwrong aboutthem.” they how and what to, beholden indeed a in responsive, is things that to’ way ‘on be to said be can beings human only Heidegger, “for explains, film heroine, in which viewers most strongly perceive the dangers of trusting in in trusting of dangers the perceive strongly silent the most as viewers pleasure which in erotic of heroine, film expression where same case, the this portray to precisely is seems It face Alicia’s suggestive. is challenge ethical violation this sexual of of case staging a with around Almodóvar’s hand, distinction other this the On grasp to Alicia. to inability regards his in lies crime Benigno’s hand, one the On acter aswell. ness andanimalityisrelevant notonlyforAliciaandLydia, but forBenigno’s char Thus, thecreaturely lifethatSantnerdescribesasastateatthethreshold of human his and Alicia of rape failure tounderstanditasaviolation? his with soul generous and tender a as him of sense resolve one initial can the How Benigno. to respond to how also but coma, a in interact to someone how of with only not quandary moral the with left are Viewers being. human to work require fact, grasp Benigno’sin unconscious,andmoreover tolovehim,asacharacterifnot does, It actions. his control and evil, and understand to unable unintelligible as as or him dismiss simply viewers if pass free a as actions, serve his also can condemn it to seem may adult not-quite-fully psychologically emotionally and as stunted Benigno characterizing While are. others way same the in actions his beyond others with pleasant banter. OnemightfeelthatBenigno is,perhaps,notquiteresponsible for relationships emotional developing in difficulty his and sexuality, extended his youth inthralltoasicklymother,perceive hisuncertainties andevasivenessabouthisown may Viewers naïve. and immature, childlike, damaged, oped: the characterofBenigno.AlmodóvarportraysBenignoasemotionallyunderdevel fellow as Lydia and Alicia humans, filmviewersmayfindthemselvesfailingtoberesponsive andbeholdento for account fully to failure characters’ several to Equivalent his refuted have could presumptions. that response a of possibility any feelings—preclude his cates trast, Benigno’s convictionsaboutAlicia’s innerstates—hisbeliefthatsherecipro animality, is actually the point at which our difference from animals is in some ways ways some in is animals from most radical. difference our which at point the actually is animality, ity, precisely thatdimensionofhumanlifehere weseemtobeutterlyreduced to sexuality, human and between animal between distinction comes crucial life Freud’s grasping creaturely to in down expressivity of modes understanding of problem the life, truly understand the concept of love of neighbor is to grasp what it means that he he that means it what grasp to or shehasanunconscious.” is neighbor of love of to concept way the only “the understand that, truly claims Santner Benigno. towards directed when difficulty caj instinct 30 28 Santner’s exhortations to respond with neighbor love take on added added on take love neighbor with respond to exhortations Santner’s and drive . OneofFreud’s great insightswasthathumansexual 29 Specifically, within Santner’s discussions of creaturely creaturely of discussions Santner’s within Specifically,

27 Bycon ------chicago art journal volume 21 adrian anagnost

bodily expressivity. In service of this reading, Almodóvar further suggests that film viewers go beyond the work of evaluating how characters ascribe an unconscious to Alicia or Lydia in order to do the harder work of trying to grapple with Benigno’s creatureliness.

Almodóvar both provokes and complicates this effort by contrasting a generous portrayal of Benigno’s character with the moral gravity of his actions. As Santner elaborates, the ethics of neighbor love “locates our responsibility in our capacity to elaborate forms of solidarity with this creaturely expressivity that makes the other strange not only to me but also to him- or herself.”31 The obvious way

to interpret this comment with regards to how characters interact with Alicia and 19:2 (2005): 224–248. Lydia, is to ask how they form bonds of solidarity with these comatose bodies who have become beings strange not only to us, but to themselves as well. Benigno represents one extreme response since he treats Alicia as if she pos- Marvels & Tales sesses inner states equivalent to his own, and imagines her responses to normal social interactions. Marco, who flees the hospital and the country when Lydia’s former lover returns, represents the other extreme.

Empathy and neighbor love can reside neither in delusional faith in one’s ability

to comprehend another, nor in complete avoidance of interaction. While Talk to For this type of criticism, see Novoa, Adriana, “Whose Talk Is It? Almodóvar and the Fairy Tale in Talk to Her,” to Her,” in Talk Fairy Tale 32 Her initially raises questions about the threshold for humanness on the basis of the comatose women, Benigno’s character comes to be the more problematic case. Benigno’s inability to judge what others are thinking and feeling, save through obvious (and perhaps disingenuous) manifestations like Marco’s tears, is matched by the inability of others to understand him. Benigno fails to comprehend expressions like Alicia’s nervous anger as he follows her along the street, and he himself provides inadequate or opaque expressions. For example, his dishonesty to Alicia’s psychiatrist father regarding his sexuality can seem, at different points in the film, like simple insistence on privacy, self-consciousness about his sex life, or a scheme to stay close to Alicia.

Benigno ultimately occupies both possible poles of the condition of neighborly love, as a person who finds himself at once strange and at pains to comprehend The Neighbor: Three Inquiries in Political Theology the strange, creaturely expressivity that surrounds him. While Almodóvar’s por- , trans. David McLintock (New York: Penguin, 2003). For trayal of Benigno has been criticized as too sympathetic, it is only by evoking empathy that Talk to Her can instill ambivalence towards Benigno.32 In some ways, he is the person who treats the comatose Alicia most like a human being, rather The Uncanny than a lifeless doll, through his constant verbal communication and physical minis- One might understand the neighbor’s proximate strangeness and the

trations. Yet paradoxically, Benigno is the one who sexually violates Alicia, leaving xiii. viewers to scrutinize their previous reactions to his tender care. Thus it is not Alicia Ibid., creaturely as resonant with Sigmund Freud, Freudian notions of further the explication ofFreud uncanny. onthe neighbor, seealso theIntroduction On inSlavoj Žižek, theEric L. uncanny,Santner, and Kenneth Reinhard, see 2005), 1–10. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, but Benigno who becomes most inscrutable. 31

69 70 Fig. 12 male dancers lift a female dancer, the singer recollects the sadness in her lover’s lover’s her in sadness the recollects singer the the dancer, As female good. a for lift left has dancers she male or he that believes and gone partner lover one her as find to romance, a wakes of demise presumed the about sings ragged lang d. woman's k. the Over breaths, expressivity. bodily such reaffirms misconstrue dance to final the potential the accompanying music the turn, In teary-eyed. sivity—not shaken, visibly becomes he however—significantly,that inlightofAlmodóvar’s problematization ofbodilyexpres theater the in Alicia sees cry he to when begins only is again it Marco softly, Although communication. of embodied, forms gestural, aural, collaborative and verbal, mixes that performance a in even persists cating song. the to words the Instead, themicrophonelip-sync amplifiesherraggedbreaths. Thedifficulty of communi even or speak not does a but holds lips, her dancer at female the microphone as lyrics music’s the foregrounds scene This bodies. male male the of movements havebecomethegentleundulationofafemaledanceratopsea performer anxious formerly The scene. opening the shape that ship Bausch Pina a of performance dance, thistime,of another to returns film the of sequence closing The Enchantment from Awakening

Marco from watchesAlicia doorwayofherhospitalroom the (35:25). caj Masurca Fogo (1998),anddoublesthemotifsofspectator - - - Fig. 13 Alicia, her eyes involuntarily open, as Marco watches her (35:36).

Fig. 14 Marco and Alicia in the theater at the film’s close (1:47:37). 71

generous personality traits, and not his more nefarious ones. nefarious more his not and traits, personality generous

this process, which viewers can only hope results in Marco taking on Benigno’s kind and and kind Benigno’s on taking Marco in results hope only can viewers which process, this

The overlaid faces of Marco and Benigno in the prison visit scene visually thematizes thematizes visually scene visit prison the in Benigno and Marco of faces overlaid The

34 relationship with Angela. See Wilson, “Rapport, Rupture, and Rape,” fn25, 50. fn25, Rape,” and Rupture, “Rapport, Wilson, See Angela. with relationship

George M. Wilson is one of the few who highlights the impropriety of Marco’s Marco’s of impropriety the highlights who few the of one is Wilson M. George 33 Yet is Almodóvar’s ending quite so optimistic? It is a strange lacuna in the criticism criticism the in of lacuna strange a is It optimistic? so quite ending Almodóvar’s is Yet communication. bodily and and, verbal dialogue both reciprocal perhaps, on built relationship a for possibility the open for time first characters the Almodóvar’s interaction, visual one-sided of grip the from moment, released this In smile. a and words with both directly, Marco to him, responds observing Alicia Benigno member audience fellow see not did Marco initial the which in Unlike scene, another. one face to order in performance dance the to relation rial theater the in audience onebehindtheother,Seated theirheadsawayfrom theyeachturn aspectato Marco. face to stage the from turns Alicia as ends film The the outside belongings home—can beconstruedandmisconstrued. someone’s placing or cigarettes for out sivity—stepping choice Almodóvar’s refrain. the to closethefilmwiththissongaffirmshisinterest inthewaysthatbodilyexpres goes funny,” it “Ain’t relationship: misconstrued their utterly of have status lover the her and singer the both The that is cigarettes. lyrics for the of out irony stepped just lover the that find to them only places door, and front bags the at lover’s her packs over, is affair the that concludes she eyes own interest inonAlicia. begins Marco taking overBenigno’swhich by life,ashemovesintoBenigno’s apartment anddevelopshis process a chronicles film the Finally, single. is he that half-naked body her tells and room hospital Alicia’s into barges Marco with lover, reunited former has her Lydia that finding after which, in scene bizarre truly a in comes pretense ofajobrequiring himtoattenduponher. Theapogeeoftheseinteractions the with comatose Alicia,includingpeeringinonherasemi-nudestate,withouteventhe interactions voyeuristic multiple in engages also Marco Benigno, Like egated tothemuteexpressivitywithout speech. ofbodilyperformance cal gazesbetweenMarco andAliciapresage arelationship inwhichneither isrel the during final scene,andtheiracknowledgmentoftheother’s presence. Perhapsthereciprospectators as Marco and Alicia both of status shared the detail, is it any in however, solace take can viewers If life. own Marco’s in captivation repetition Benigno’s the of propose instead may but Marco, and Alicia both of awakening dual Talk to Her to Talk caj thatMarco’s owninappropriate behaviorgoeslargely unremarked. Chicago, of University the at history art in candidate PhD A the Americas appeared inpublicationsincluding have art computer and Bove, Carol Sultan, Larry Botero, Fernando Cordeiro, Waldemar Andrade, de Oswald on writings Adrian’s Brazil. postwar in participation of notions and politics, mass art, 34 Almodóvar’s doubling may not, in the end, point to the the to point end, the in not, may doubling Almodóvar’s

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