{"id":2677,"date":"2020-10-23T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-humanities\/?p=2677"},"modified":"2020-10-22T16:41:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T15:41:30","slug":"a-woman-on-the-verge-of-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-humanities\/2020\/10\/23\/a-woman-on-the-verge-of-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"A woman on the verge of suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018The Human Voice\u2019<\/em> directed by Pedro Almodovar (Spain 2020) shown at the London Film Festival 2020 and due for UK wide release on 7th November<\/p>\n

Review by Khalid Ali, Film and Media Correspondent<\/p>\n

\"The
Poster – The Human Voice<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018The Human Voice\u2019<\/em> takes back esteemed Spanish Film auteur, Pedro Almodovar to the narratives he cherishes the most; stories of embittered women and the men who don\u2019t deserve them. Throughout Almodovar cinematic oeuvre, he portrayed various forms of trauma endured by women perpetuated by men; \u2018Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown\u2019<\/em> (1988), \u2018All about my mother\u2019 <\/em>(1999) and \u2018Volver\u2019<\/em> (2006) are notable examples. Once again the adverse impact on a woman\u2019s psyche, following rejection by and separation from her male partner is the focus here. Inspired by the French poet Jean Cocteau\u2019s play of the same name, the film condenses a roller coaster of emotions in 30 minutes of visual flair and suspense hinting at a tragic ending. At its core, the film explores depression as a precursor to suicide, a public health problem in Spain that has recently been referred to as \u2018the silent pandemic<\/a>\u2019 by the president of the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, Nel Anxelu Gonz\u00e1lez Zapico. A marked increase in mortality by suicide in Spanish women in the period from 2010-2016 has been reported while the suicide rates in men remained stable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tilda Swinton is the unnamed woman preoccupied by suicidal thoughts after Jose, her lover of four years unilaterally decides to terminate their relationship. Pleading with Jose over heated phone conversations, she wants to meet him for one final time. A bleak future of loneliness compels her to consider responding to the beckoning call of \u2018sweet death\u2019. Growing old and losing interest in her career as a theatre actress fuel her desire to self-harm and execute other acts of violence and destruction.\u00a0 Her overwhelming anger and frustration have to be acted out in a physical manner no matter what the consequences are.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Interpersonal theory of suicide\u2019 provides some explanation for the character suicidal intentions. This theory postulates that \u2018\u2019suicidal desire emerges when individuals experience intractable feelings of perceived burdensomeness<\/strong> and thwarted belongingness<\/strong> and that near-lethal or lethal suicidal behaviour occurs in the presence of suicidal desire<\/strong> and capability for suicide<\/strong><\/a>.\u2019\u2019 The protagonist firmly believes that she has become a \u2018burden\u2019 to her lover and that he is justified in his decision to abandon her because she initially agreed to \u2018play the game according to his rules\u2019. As a mad, melancholic woman, she is totally \u2018expendable\u2019.<\/p>\n