Talk to Her (2002)

Pedro Almodóvar crafts an aesthetically refined drama about two men who care for women in a coma, but the moral core of the work is deeply problematic. The film treats a most serious act — the rape of an unconscious woman by her nurse — with a moral ambiguity that can confuse the viewer. The perpetrator is presented with shades of sympathy; his obsession is disguised as 'love'; and the narrative does not clearly condemn what occurs. Although there are legal consequences for the character, the overall tone of the work is ambivalent about the ethical gravity of the abuse. The fantastic silent film sequence that functions as a visual metaphor for the act adds a layer of aesthetic sophistication that does not alter what the film proposes: an exploration of the extreme objectification of the woman treated as an existential dilemma instead of a crime. It is auteur cinema of high technical caliber, but its treatment of consent and human dignity makes it inappropriate for the vast majority of viewers. Not recommended for minors nor for adults without sound and well-formed moral judgment.