Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
A good man is hard to find! For that matter, so is a good woman. Not, of course, for an amazing person like yourself, good reader. You’ve got it all: a gorgeous face, hauntingly beautiful eyes, radiant personality, talent oozing from every pore, voluptuous . . . . well, you get the picture. I’m like that, too. For people like you and me . . . we can afford to hold out for the near-perfect partner in life. Certainly it’s unrealistic to think that our chosen partners will be entirely worthy of us, but at least they might deserve to worship at our feet.
For the rest of the poor slobs out there . . . . well, that’s why they have organizations like Promise Keepers. Or Parents Without Partners and internet dating services. Let me ask you to indulge me in a little game, here. Try to imagine, for a moment . . . . impossible though it might seem . . . that you’re not the amazing lovable you, but just some kinda ordinary, average, run-of-the-mill young man or woman. Heaven forbid but try to play along! No, to keep this simple, let’s say you’re a woman in her mid-twenties, with just average or below average marketability on the dating circuit, regardless of your actual age or gender. I’m your best friend and I come along and tell you that I’ve got this guy for you and here’s what he has to offer: he’s a 23 year-old hunk, well-built, handsome face, warm and penetrating eyes, very sincere, he’s been in love with you secretly for three years, his one ambition in life is to be the best husband he can possibly be for you as well as a wonderful father for your children. Oh, and he’s so good in the sack that he makes women weep. Furthermore, he’s the kind of guy who when propositioned by another woman is going to tell her that he’s not interested because he has you at home waiting for him. When there’s a drip in the kitchen sink, he fixes it without even being asked. He buys you heart shaped boxes of chocolates and speaks to you in a sensitive, thoughtful manner. Are you ready to deal?
I suppose in the interest of full-disclosure I should add a bit more. Ricky – let’s call him Ricky – was orphaned when he was very young. In fact, he has just one vague memory of his parents and family home. He was placed in an orphanage, but he had a propensity for running away, and was soon transferred to a juvenile detention center and from there to a mental institution. His social skills are – well, let’s say – poorly developed. His idea of a first date is to break into your apartment and tie you up until you get to know him well enough to fall in love with him. A very direct approach! And you – bless your soul – have this hang-up about freedom of choice and movement. Now you’ve got a dilemma and the basis for an interesting film. Otherwise, this guy’s terrific but there is that business about tying you to the bed! What to do?
Historical Background: Pedro Almodovar has made himself into one of the most interesting of directors on the current international scene by staking out a unique territory. His early films, which include this one, intentionally and shamelessly courted controversy by finding humor in topics that border on the pornographic and exploitive. His medium has always been a spicy mix of eroticism, comedy, and suspense. Yet, he delivers his controversial topics with such finesse, style, and originality that his films generally exceed mere prurient interest. One of his early films, for example, Matador, featured bullfight-like sexual encounters in which a coup de grace is delivered to the man at the same moment as the female matador’s orgasm. So, as risqué as is Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (Atame! in its Spanish release), it is routine material by Almodovar standards. Almodovar’s two most recent films, All About My Mother and Talk to Her have extended his repertoire beyond well-made, titillating entertainment into the rarefied realm of truly great films, exploring profound themes.
The Story: Ricky (Antonio Banderas) has spent almost all of his 23 years of life in institutions of one kind or another. In recent years, the studly Ricky has earned his keep by catering to the sexual needs of the female Hospital Director as well as the nursing staff. When he is released by order of a judge, he plans to make up for lost time. His top priority is to marry the woman of his dreams and produce the family for which he has always longed. For Ricky, the woman of his dreams is Marina (Victoria Abril), with whom he had previously had a one-night stand during a brief escape from the hospital. Marina is lovely and a gentle spirit but has a history of her own, as a recovering junkie and former porn star. He locates her at a film studio, where she is trying to get her life on track by working on a B-movie directed by the lecherous Maximo Espejo (Francisco Rabal), a formerly great director but a recent stroke victim in the twilight of his career. After hulking about a bit, Ricky tries to interest Marina in conversation, but she dismisses him, notwithstanding his effort to impress her with a headstand. Ricky decides on a more direct approach. He breaks into her apartment, smacks her across the face to quiet her, and ties her up. Ricky states, in the full conviction of utter sincerity, “I am 23, I have 50 thousand pesetas and am alone in the world. I would like to make a good husband for you and a good father for our children.” Except for the circumstances, that introductory line might sound a good deal better than most mens’ proposals of marriage!
Ricky manifests the classic deceit that we all share – that if others will only take the time to get to know me, they can’t help but to love me. He tells her that he’s kidnapping her, “So you’ll know me.” Later, however, fed up with being handcuffed, taped across the mouth, and tied to the bed, Marina says, angrily, “I’ll never love you, ever.” Ricky, says, “We’ll see”, and implores her to be less selfish and mean. “I’m very upset,” he says softly, “How would you feel after what you told me? After all I did for you. I’ve been mistreated, but never that badly,” he says while tying her up. He ties and gags her frequently, mostly so that he can run errands for her, but does not sexually assault her and even turns around, in a gentlemanly manner, when she needs to change clothing.
The tide begins to turn in Ricky’s favor when he comes home after being thoroughly beaten up by thugs on the street, bloodied and bruised, arousing Marina’s compassion and maternal instincts. While tending to his medical needs, Marina gets aroused sexually. Soon they are engaged in passionate, steamy love-making. Marina is now in love with Ricky though still quite ambivalent, considering his dubious sanity and her precarious situation.
They begin to discuss the future and make plans to run off together. Ricky will steal a car for their journey. At this point Marina actually asks him to tie her up to make sure that she will not run away while he is gone! Marina’s sister, Lola (Loles Leon), shows up and discovers Marina tied to the bed. Lola is amazed to discover that Marina doesn’t really want to be rescued. They make their getaway nevertheless. The key moment of the film, in my opinion, is when Marina starts to describe her ordeal to Lola and begins with Ricky’s opening line. It suddenly occurs to both of them that Ricky’s utter devotion to Marina sounds more like an ideal than an ordeal.
Themes: Almodovar’s thematic territory is pretty much the same in every film. He explores kinky themes, loves characters that blur gender distinction, and mocks Catholicism and Spanish machismo.
Obviously, this film is and ought to be a matter of some alarm to women advocacy groups, since it seems to suggest the dangerous reasoning that a man can win the heart of a woman if only he is forceful enough, which then potentially becomes rationale for stalking, sexual harassment, or sexual assaults. The reality, of course, is that for every Ricky who exists (a basically decent but grossly under-socialized young man) there are a thousand seriously disturbed, habitually violent sex offenders and perverts. In the end, however, it is evident that “Tie Me Down” actually refers to Ricky and not to Marina. It is Ricky who wants nothing more in life than to be tied down to a family and a good woman and to be a devoted husband and father. Although the surface message might appear misogynistic, the deeper message is actually pro-family. Still, I doubt that either NOW or the fundamentalist Christians will endorse this film.
Production Values: Almodovar certainly deserves credit for his willingness to take risks and explore taboo subject matter. In filming Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, he exposed himself to the risk of condemnation by women’s groups. The sexual scenes are quite erotic though only moderately graphic. There is one erotic scene when Marina is in her bathtub playing with a windup toy – a scuba-diver of sorts powering his way into her portal. There is also a steamy (consensual) love-making scene between Marina and Ricky during which Marina suddenly remembers Ricky from their previous night together. Apparently Ricky has one bodily feature that is somewhat unforgettable. Not only is a good man hard to find but a hard man is good to find! The sex is warm and believable, not the athletic pornographic variety.
Both Ricky and Marina are well-developed as characters – never mere caricatures. Both are flawed but likable. The cast does a superb job, most especially Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas, who provide shameless bravura performances, but also Loles Leon as Lola. The commendable musical score consists of tango rhythms and lyrically romantic themes.
Almodovar is a master of black humor. We see the lecherous director in the wheel chair torturing himself watching pornographic videos of Marina. The director’s name is an ironic joke as well, since “Maximo Espejo” means literally “maximum mirror”, an apt name for a film director. There is a TV commercial about planning for retirement, featuring Nazi youth who sensibly “plan ahead” contrasted with Spaniards frittering their time away in erotic dance.
Bottom-Line: This is a well-made film, not a great one but an entertaining one with fine performances, strong production values, and Almodovar’s patented challenging subject matter. The MPAA Rating board originally rated the film “X”, which caused the producers to release it unrated. It has since been rated NC-17. It is in Spanish with English subtitles and has a running time of 103 minutes. The only extra on the DVD version is the theatrical trailer. There are 33 chapter breaks. This is not a bondage film as its title might suggest. It is a suspenseful erotic comedy – not for all viewers, certainly, but likely to be thoroughly enjoyed by those with a tolerance for kinky subject matter explored playfully.
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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Spain:
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