We value Leonor Watling’s ability to remain central when a film gives her little room to answer back. Her Alicia in Talk to Her matters deeply, even when the men’s feelings threaten to occupy the whole story.
Fi1m perspective
In the physiotherapy scenes of Talk to Her (2002), Leonor Watling’s Alicia cannot answer the people caring for her. Pedro Almodóvar makes the practical attention to her body moving, while leaving us uneasy about the men speaking on her behalf. We were moved more than we expected by those exercises, because the practical work makes dependence so plain. Alongside Rosario Flores’s Lydia, Alicia keeps the consequences of that dependence in view while the men have room to discuss their feelings.
It is a restrictive role through which to meet an actor whose work crosses comedy and drama. Watling had already played Carmen in La hora de los valientes (1998) and taken the lead as Martina in Bigas Luna’s Son de mar (2001). Her profile rose further with Talk to Her and the leading role of Elvira in My Mother Likes Women (2002). She later played Lorna in the English-language The Oxford Murders (2008), alongside Elijah Wood and John Hurt.
What we value in Alicia is how difficult she makes it to settle comfortably into the men’s story. Almodóvar allows their devotion to seem appealing, and Watling’s place in the care scenes keeps its unequal terms visible. The reservation is substantial: neither she nor Flores can make up for how little opportunity the women have to object. When the polished images encourage us simply to enjoy the sadness, the film risks making their helplessness convenient. We want to hear from these women, however persuasive the men may be.
Watling has also returned to work with Isabel Coixet and Cesc Gay, making two films with each. Those collaborations are a reason to look beyond the role that brought her international attention, rather than treating its enforced silence as her defining method. Begin with Talk to Her, but remember that Almodóvar has decided how much of Alicia we are allowed to know.
Biography
Leonor Watling is a Spanish actress and singer. Born Leonor Elizabeth Ceballos Watling in Madrid on 28 July 1975, she began studying classical ballet as a child but turned to acting after a knee injury. She made her film debut in Jardines colgantes (1993) and trained at the Actors Centre in London.
Watling received Goya Award nominations for her performances in La hora de los valientes (1998) and A mi madre le gustan las mujeres (2002). She is known for her role as Alicia in Pedro Almodóvar’s Talk to Her (2002), as well as appearances in My Life Without Me (2003), Bad Education (2004) and The Oxford Murders (2008). She is also the lead vocalist of the band Marlango.
