¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto!! (1984)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)
Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Release Date:

30 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A dysfunctional family in Madrid: Gloria is a cleaning lady, hooked on No-Doze, living in a crowded flat with Antonio...

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Lizard | Dentist | Female Nudity | Spain

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Carmen Maura	...	Gloria
Luis Hostalot	...	Polo
Ryo Hiruma	...	Profesor Kendo
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Antonio (as Angel de Andres-Lopez)
Gonzalo Suárez	...	Lucas Villalba (as Gonzalo Suarez)
Verónica Forqué	...	Cristal
Juan Martínez	...	Toni
Chus Lampreave	...	Abuela
Kiti Manver	...	Juani
Sonia Anabela Holimann	...	Vanessa
Cecilia Roth	...	Chica anuncio
Diego Caretti	...	Chico anuncio
José Manuel Bello	...	Colega barrio
Pedro Almodóvar	...	Play-Back 'La bien pagá' (as Almodovar)
Fabio McNamara	...	Play-Back 'La bien pagá' (as McNamara)

Also Known As:

What Have I Done to Deserve This? (USA)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

German | Spanish | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) (2006) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Kaktus Producciones Cinematográficas

Trivia:

Victoria Abril turned down the chance to star in the film, as she didn't want to play another prostitute, having just played one recently.

Quotes:

Miguel: [back home after being given in adoption to a pedophiliac dentist] At first it was fun, but I am too young to be tied down.

Movie Connections:

References Carrie (1976)

Soundtrack:

La bien pagá

Early Almodóvar: twisted and funny

I found myself wrapped up in this off-beat movie, off-beat that is, for anyone but Almodóvar in the mid 1980s. For him, this one was sort of tame. It's populated by an Almodovaran crowd of demimonde, and struggling proletarians and intellectuals. Some take drugs to get by, some sell drugs but won't take them. Sex is a commodity, and honor a dubious value. The struggle to survive in a harsh urban environment ought not be as comic as this often is, so it's not surprising when Almodóvar brings a little emotional sustenance to leaven the pessimism. But nobody in this film should be taken at face value, least of all the director, and nothing should be taken too seriously. It's fun, and in the end, that's enough.