Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown

This shot lasts from 1:22:22-1:22:34. Long shots records two characters (Lvan and Pepa) and their surroundings, enabling audience to observe others (the passengers, Paulina) thus making the narrative mode more reasonable. This shot is about the very last talk between Lvan and Pepa (a jilted lover of Lvan) at the terminal. With the blaring sirens of police cars (the sirens disappeared as Pepa woke up), Lvan kneels on his knees and supports Pepa's leaning back with both hands. Pepa who is in mild shock, her face is titled towards the sky. Lvan stares at Pepa unblinkingly and keeps calling her name in a soft tone. Paulina (Lvan’s mistress), the feminist lawyer gets up from the ground, walking towards them slowly and cautiously. Her gaze falls on them thoughtfully. When Pepa regains consciousness, she pushes Lvan away and pays no attention to Lvan's soothing words (Are you all right?) as well as “darling” (a term of endearment). Instead, she turns her face away (her face is tilted toward the exit). She stands up on her own, refusing any help from Lvan. Lvan keeps watching Pepa, but Pepa deliberately avoids any eye contact with him.

Considering the overall look, there is a marked contrast between Ivan and Pepa. Lvan’s grey hair glints. He is in a well-tailored suit with matching shoes, looking smart, gentle, and altogether charming. In contrast, Pepa's hair is messy and soaked, falling over her eyes. She also wears an elegant suit, a red one. However, there is a long cut on the silk stockings on her right knee and she walks barefoot. She seems to get into sticky situations. At first glance, Lvan is calm and affectionate, while Pepa is uneasy and weary. Lvan's calm demeanor contrasts with Pepa's embarrassment. Despite the fact that Lvan has a new love (Paulina) and has tried every method to avoid Pepa, at this time, he still calls Pepa darling and is concerned about her poor physical condition. On hearing this inquiry, Pepa does not mention any difficulty or hardship. She neither reveals the fact that she has not slept for two days in order to look for him, nor does she leak the news that she is pregnant. Instead, she pushes Lvan away and says that she does not hope anything in return (I don’t want anything in return). Lvan's hypocritical words are in contrast to Pepa's frank attitude, proving the blatant lies of men and the heroism of women. Pepa chose to withdraw from the hypocrisy of men. It proves that that men have no idea about a relationship breakup, about how to leave women. Even men are tired of women and they decide to leave them (women), they keep saying that they love them (women). Such hypocrisy makes women frustrated and confused (e.g., Pepa frantically gathers all the news about Lvan for the whole two days). However, Pepa's final choice shows that in a relationship, women are more resilient than men, even though they have greater emotional suffering. When they (couples) have to part, women usually can face breakup frankly, but men are dishonest about their true feelings.

On the sound of the sirens, Lvan stares at the unconscious Pepa. The drawl and sharpness of the sirens provokes anxiety, indicating Lvan's potential restlessness (he is worried about Pepa). When Pepa wakes up and realizes that Lvan is holding her, she subconsciously pushes him away. At this point, the shrill sound dies away, replaced by the buzzing of people standing up after realizing that they are out of danger. The change of sound suggests the change of Pepa's mind. She has realized that Ivan keeps philandering with women and no longer believing his swearing (Pepa, I love you). She withdraws from the blindness and decides to get her life on track. The alarm is a shrill and disconcerting cue, while the noise of the crowd is the usual, reassuring normality. She pulled herself out of her sad, lonely, uncertain mood and recovered her peace after a frantic search. People seldom hear an alarm and it is sharp and disturbing. On the country, people are familiar with buzzing, and it makes people feel at ease. The shift from an alarm to buzzing marks that Pepa withdraws from the blue, lonely, and vacillating emotions, and returns to calm after frantic searching.

This shot belongs to the second half of the penultimate scene. This scene records Lucai's faked sanity and Pepa's decision to let go. In this scene, Lvan and infatuated women gather at the airport. Lucia (Lvan’s ex-wife), a mentally disturbed patient, aims a gun at Lvan. It is Pepa who intercepts the revenge with a moving cart. 

The endings of the four people vary. Lucia is taken away by the police, Pepa chooses to leave Lvan, and Lvan continues the journey with Paulina. This scene marks Pepa's independence. She no longer indulges in the panic and helplessness of losing Lvan. In the process of searching for Lvan, she realizes she no longer needs Lvan. On the country, Lucia is driven to madness for being jilted by Lvan. She plans to kill the man who betrays her. Her revenge can be seen as a counterattack against a heartless man. The choice made by Pepa demonstrates one feature of this film—a denial of patriarchy (Edward, 2001). Lvan continues his journey with Paulina, without a word to his family or Pepa. Lvan escapes from his role as a father, a husband, and a lover, while Pepa's voluntary departure denies the indispensability of men.

Reference

Edward, G. (2001). Chapter 5: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In Almodovar: Labyrinths of Passion(pp.86-103). Peter Owen Publisher.