The 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) is the vibrant, Academy Award-nominated breakthrough that propelled director Pedro Almodóvar to international fame. A colorful mix of screwball comedy and campy melodrama, the film explores the resilient beauty of women through a chaotic series of events. Synopsis
However, a more theoretical interpretation of the "repack" lies within the film’s narrative structure itself. The protagonist, Pepa Marcos, is literally engaged in the act of "repackaging" throughout the film. As a voice-over actress and dubbing artist, she takes the raw emotions of others and repackages them into Spanish for local audiences. Her professional life is defined by the simulation of feeling, a motif that bleeds into her personal crisis. When her lover Iván leaves her, Pepa’s breakdown is a collision between genuine heartbreak and the performed melodrama she consumes professionally. She is attempting to repack a messy, abandoned life into a narrative that makes sense, scrubbing the floors, burning the sheets, and concocting a sedative-laced gazpacho to sanitize her reality. In this sense, the "nervous breakdown" is the failure of the repack; it is the moment when the contents of a life can no longer fit neatly into the container of social expectation. women on the verge of a nervous breakdown 1988 repack
: Includes the original 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and an alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack. Translation : A new English subtitle translation. Aspect Ratio : Presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The Criterion Collection Special Features and Packaging The release is designed with a Lichtenstein-inspired Pop Art cover by Malika Favre. Key supplements include: The Criterion Collection New Interviews The 1988 film Women on the Verge of
Bonus Material: A new English subtitle translation and the original theatrical trailer. Availability & Pricing This edition is widely available through various retailers: Criterion Collection Official: Listed at $39.95 $31.96. : Includes the original 2