I saw Hable con Ella in Miami and for a while could not figure it out. I did notice Almodovar was having a lot of fun and including brief appearances by some of his favorite people, such as singer Martirio, Cecilia Roth, etc. (I wonder if the scene where the two comatose women are sitting next to each other with dark glasses on was an allusion to Martirio.)
Now I think one major theme may be the fear of being devoured by women, and not just because of the silent short. I have read a lot of reviews, but most of them do very little explicating (and that's a genuine English term), that is, translating what the author is saying through his images. Anyway, I would love to hear some interpretations.
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Marian