Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Break Down

I enjoyed Women on the Verge of a Nervous Break Down and found it very funny. I thought that the comedic effect was necessary because all the characters have issues which women deal with on a more or less constant basis. Granted, most women don't get involved with Shiite terrorists unknowingly but the basic idea that you don't really know the person you think you are in love with is relatable. All of these women show extreme versions of what average women are like. Pepa is sort of like what most women would like to be like if they could stop restraining themselves. She has reached a tipping point and refuses to be stopped by anyone. The comedic effect makes the movie bearable because otherwise it would be terribly depressing.

The telephone in the movie represents the lack of communication between the characters. It is largely due to the lack of communication or misunderstood communication that most disagreements arise. If Pepa had been able to tell Ivan that she was pregnant at the beginning maybe things would have turned out differently, but probably not considering Ivan's character.

Many of the female characters make the same mistake of allowing men to manipulate them and have such a crippling effect on their lives. It's one thing to be in love with someone but if you can't live with out them then you are hopeless. Pepa finally realizes this on some level at the end. She does not need Ivan in her life to be happy or to raise a baby. She is a strong and independent woman who can run her own life. Candela is quite the opposite. She complains of always being tricked by men but in fact she allows herself to be tricked. She is dependent on the men she gets involved with and unable to live by her own agency.