¡Átame! (1990)

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)
Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Release Date:

1990 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A love story...with strings attached!

Plot:

Ricky is released from a mental hospital, and knows exactly what he wants to do. He hunts down Marina...

Plot Keywords:

Obsession | Escape | Hospital | Porn Actress | Orphan

Awards:

6 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Victoria Abril	...	Marina Osorio
Antonio Banderas	...	Ricky
Loles León	...	Lola
Julieta Serrano	...	Alma
María Barranco	...	Médica
Rossy de Palma	...	Camello en Vespa
Francisco Rabal	...	Máximo Espejo
Lola Cardona	...	Directora psiquiátrico
Montse G. Romeu	...	Periodista
Emiliano Redondo	...	Decorador
Oswaldo Delgado	...	Fantasma
Concha Rabal	...	Farmacéutica
Alberto Fernández	...	Productor
José María Tasso	...	Anciano psiquiátrico
Angelina Llongueras	...	Montadora

Also Known As:

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (USA)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for scene of strong adult sensuality with nudity.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Italy:VM18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) | USA:X (original rating) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Barajas, Madrid, Spain

Company:

El Deseo S.A.

Trivia:

The sex scene between 'Antonio Banderas' and Victoria Abril took nine takes to get right, and about nine hours to film. Pedro Almodóvar chose to use the last take as, by that time, the two actors had worked themselves up into a sweat which made the scene appear to be more authentic. Elia Kazan later remarked that he thought it was one of the best sex scenes he had ever witnessed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Canción del alma

A very sexy film- a MANS chick flick. This is a bit twisted and fun.

Our hero is a mentally ill man who can't stop thinking about a girl who rocked his world back in the past. He is released from the institution and goes ahead with the paint by numbers obsession masquerading as love routine. This is the kind of love where you beat the living $hit out of your girlfriend because you love her so much and then complain to her afterward.. look what you made me do- it's all your fault you whore because I love you so much.

While this is a completely sick and abusive way to run a relationship, apparently some women like domination and the intense attention they get from a psychopath. This explains a lot of seemingly unlikely pairings in the world- deep down inside, a real girl likes to be submitted by the alpha male.

If you understand this, you can understand this movie and how it plays out- otherwise you will be screaming at the movie yeah right - could never happen- but the FUNNY thing about this movie is it could and does happen. Bad girls need lots of attention.

The script is rich with turns and twists which bounces off the fact that our leading lady, a former porn star and heroin addict trying to kick has just finished up a regular movie and they want to call her back for post-prod.-Problem is.. she's tied up at the moment with her new boyfriend...

This is a romantic comedy with good old Spanish humor which revolves around fiery romance and doing the dumbest thing possible in a situation, --it mirrors what the testosterone told you to do.

I was reminded of Jamon Jamon with the lead character-who is of course.. Antonio Banderas. Before seeing the film-I thought Banderas was a negative for the film, but he actually does this character quite well!