Here the concept is given a distinctly Spanish twist with Victoria Abril cast as struggling single mom Verónica, whose struggle for financial independence and a better life for her family is thrown into turmoil when her masseuse is murdered after leaving a mysterious message on her answering machine about a valuable package. Though the thriller elements are fairly standard for the time, what sets this one apart is the focus on a single mom's life in post-Franco Spain, an aspect treated for more fantastically in Pedro Almodóvar's What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984). This would prove to be the first and only theatrical feature for former editor José Luis García Berlanga, who had also served as a second unit director on Stephen Frears' Spanish-shot thriller, The Hit (1984). Since then his career has largely been focused on directing television episodes, most notably several installments of the long-running Spanish series, Hospital Central.
Of course, the real star of the show here is Abril, whose fluency in multiple languages had made her an ideal lead in everything from the 3-D western Comin' at Ya! (1981) to Jean-Jacques Beineix's extravagant and troubled The Moon in the Gutter (1983) and Nagisa Oshima's kinky Max mon amour (1986). Though perhaps most famous to American audiences for her three films with Almodóvar--Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989), High Heels (1991) and Kika (1993)--she enjoyed a more extensive and acclaimed run as the muse for director Vicente Aranda, starting with The Girl with the Golden Panties (1980) and continuing with nine additional features (and numerous TV episodes) including Liberterias (1996), the very underrated If They Tell You I Fell (1989) and their most internationally distributed collaboration, Lovers: A True Story (1991), which netted awards for Abril at the Berlin International Film Festival and Turia Awards.
Interestingly, Abril got her start in Spain not in films but on television when series creator Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, better known as the director of The House That Screamed (1970) and Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), brought her on board his successful game show, Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez, in 1977. Still active in the industry, she has starred on the popular French comedy series Clem since 2010 and reunited with Berlanga for a 2011 episode of Hospital Central. With this particular film, you can enjoy a look at her on the cusp of international stardom, showing off her gifts for both drama and comedy that would continue to serve her well to the present day.
By Nathaniel Thompson
