Hable con Ella Blog

The director, Almodovar, really plays off the fairytale aspect with the relationship between Benigno an Alicia. Alicia is very much like Sleeping beauty, and Benigno is like her attentive prince who has come to her rescue to save her.  Benigno takes care of Alicia for four years, and it is not until Benigno is intimate with Alicia that she is finally saved just like how the prince saved Sleeping beauty with his kiss.  I think that Almodovar does this to show the falseness of the relationship.  Real relationships are not based on obsessions.  Besides, Benigno and Alicia's relationship is not based on a true connection because even when Alicia was not in a coma, she felt uncomfortable around Benigno.  Benigno in Spanish does mean benign, and Benigno does make it a point to tell Alicia that he is harmless when she is not  in a coma.  However, I think Benigno's feelings for Alicia are quite vapid and unrealistic.  Benigno does not know anything about Alicia rather than she is a very attractive woman.  In all honesty, I find Benigno to be rather pathetic.  He wastes four years of his life to attend to a woman who never had any interest in him to begin with.  For Benigno to honestly think that Alicia would want to marry him, not only takes away Alicia's right to choose for herself, but it also shows just how delusional Benigno truly is about this relationship.  Alicia could have woken up naturally, and not have wanted anything to do with Benigno.  And then what would he have done?  Therefore, Almodovar uses this relationship to show how real relationships are not fairytales.