Talk to Her (2002)

Talk to Her (Habla con Ella) is a sensitive homage to the enduring influence of two women on their lovers, even from their comas or the grave. Benigno (Javier Camara) seems to be just that -- benign and harmless -- emotionally a juvenile but sincerely tender and selfless in his devotion and professional care as a male nurse for the former dancer Alicia (Leonor Watling), fallen into a coma before he could woo her and now torpid for years. Benigno befriends the sensitive writer Marco (Dario Grandinetti), who weeps at ballet performances and falls for the dashing female bullfighter Lydia (Rosario Flores), who later also lapses into a persistent vegetative state. The two odd couples form unusual pairs that are poignant esp. as the story jumps back and forth across time. A key scene is where Benigno advises Marco how to nurture any woman, conscious or unconscious: "Talk to her" (and all that that implies). Benigno has hope that Alicia will revive someday, a hope he does not see fulfilled. (He is later accused and convicted of a crime on circumstantial evidence and sent to jail for the remainder of his life.) This movie is full of crisp, memorable, and lovingly portrayed scenes, including the splendor of the bullfighter's traditional outfit (attentively donned by Lydia), an intoxicating rendition of Cucurrucucu Paloma, a silent short called The Shrinking Lover, and the two wistful friends on either side of the prison glass. This film will put down roots into your heart before it is done and ever afterwards. Benigno finds the happiest years of his life caring for Alicia and doing the things she loved so he can tell her about it -- before his part in the story fades away and two other lives begin their journey anew. Five stars.