Comedy, Drama  •  1988  •  88 min  •  Adults (18+)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown poster

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Neutral
Trans: Neutral

Viewer Rating
8.2

Overview

After being dumped by her lover, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control in a deliciously chaotic series of events.


Starring Cast

Carmen Maura  •   Antonio Banderas  •   Julieta Serrano


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: Medium

The film leans left due to its dominant themes of female solidarity and resilience in the face of male abandonment, implicitly critiquing traditional male roles and celebrating women's agency in navigating personal crises rather than relying on external structures.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

This Spanish film showcases a diverse array of strong female characters navigating personal crises, with a narrative that subtly critiques traditional male roles and behaviors as catalysts for the women's emotional turmoil. The casting is culturally appropriate for its setting, without explicit DEI-driven recasting.

Secondary

LGBTQ: Neutral
Confidence: Low

The film features a lesbian relationship for a supporting character, Candela, which is depicted without judgment or sensationalism. This portrayal is incidental to the main plot, neither uplifting nor denigrating queer identity, but rather presenting it as a normal facet of the characters' lives within the film's chaotic narrative.

Trans: Neutral
Confidence: Low

The film includes Lola, a transsexual character, whose identity is a plot point driving the protagonist's emotional turmoil. However, Lola does not appear on screen, and her trans identity is presented factually without being a subject of either affirmation or denigration, leading to a neutral overall portrayal. For instance, Lola's identity is the reason Ivan left Pepa, but the film focuses on Pepa's reaction rather than Lola's experience.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" is an original screenplay by Pedro Almodóvar. It is not an adaptation, reboot, or biopic, meaning all characters were created for this specific film. Therefore, no character had a pre-established gender to be swapped.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

This film is an original screenplay by Pedro Almodóvar, not an adaptation of prior source material or a biopic. Therefore, its characters were not previously established as a specific race in any canon or historical record, precluding the possibility of a race swap.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

8.2

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.5
The Movie Database logo
7.4

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
9.4
Metacritic logo
8.5

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