Fit to be Tied

Dealing with the unnerving and dangerously disturbing topic of the Stockholm Syndrome, Pedro Almodóvar uses deft humour, rich engaging (as well as flawed) characters and a solid story to concoct one of the more unusual romances in film history.

The title of said motion picture is Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, released in 1989 to much fanfare and equally as much controversy. The winner of several festival awards (as well as being lauded as a superb film in Spain), it received an X rating in the United States (equal to that of a hardcore pornography film) – with the MPAA disliking two scenes as well as the crime aspect of the story (which they thought could influence young males to commit kidnapping much like the main character). To paraphrase Almodóvar, he humourously exclaimed that he does not make movies expecting that the entire audience will be psychopaths. In the end, it was this movie that led the MPAA to create the new rating of NC-17, which still exists today, and if given, usually kills a movie’s box office chances much like the X rating.

Our lead character is 23 year old Ricky (Antonio Banderas), who was an orphaned boy in and out of mental institutions his whole life. A judge has finally signed off on the young man, declaring him cured, so he departs the ward with only one thing on his mind – to recover the thing he lost so early on in his life: a family.

One of the reasons that the man was in and out of the institution so often was that he was a talented locksmith, escaping once in a while for some alone time, but always returning back to the only place he felt he had some connection to. On one of his escapades (about a year earlier), he met former porn actress and drug addict Marina Osorio (Victoria Abril), with the two sharing a night of passionate sex. Thus, he exits the institution looking for the only woman he has truly had a connection with on the outside, hoping to convince her of his worthiness as a suitor.

Almodóvar then takes us into the world of film making where we see elderly director Máximo Espejo (Francisco Rabal), who is on his last leg after having had a stroke, making a horror flick with Marina as his lead actress. The lustful old man is infatuated with his star, much like Ricky. Her sister Lola (Loles León) is also working on the project as an assistant director.

Upon wrapping, Ricky approaches the femme, hoping for a conversation. She shrugs him off, even after he tries to impress her with a lengthy handstand, but the man is not deterred. As a back up, he has already stolen her flat keys and found out where she lives.

He makes his way to her apartment, knocking on her door after her next door neighbour has just departed for a lengthy vacation. Thinking that it is her neighbour returning to pass on one more piece of information, Ricky barges in and tells her not to scream. Of course, she does the opposite, and he subdues her with a head butt.

This brings together two interesting and very flawed characters. Marina is vulnerable physically, but it is perhaps Ricky who is even more vulnerable. Losing his parents in a horrible accident that is only hinted at, the man has never had the guidance or love of a nurturer, but strives to regain some semblance of normalcy by trying to create his own family circle. It is a flawed plan, as he has never truly been a part of a family – only observing it from afar. Though he is a kidnapper and criminal, he is not trying to hurt Marina (in his mind he truly loves her). He does not get off sexually from being violent towards her nor does he ever abuse her when he must subdue her. He is simply hoping that once she gets to know him, she will realize his value and come to love him.

What follows is an intriguing tête-à-tête between the mismatched twosome. Physicality is used and mind games are played as the two feel each other out in their new roles. Marina, suffering from a broken tooth, begs for Ricky to take her to a doctor friend (who has been helping her get clean) to get some strong painkillers (as aspirin does not work on her drug abused body). They make the trip and Ricky fortunately gets away with the dangerous voyage. After the nerve-racking experience, he ties the dame up when he must leave the home. Though, as a good husband would do, he always gets her what she asks for – continuously putting himself in harm’s way as he frequents the sketchy areas of town looking for drugs that will help relieve her agony.

Meanwhile, Lola has become worried by Marina’s disappearance. She has dropped by once, leaving a note explaining this to her sister, fearful that she may have turned to drugs once again (especially after missing the closing night party for the film). Máximo is also rattled by her lack of contact, though for wholly different reasons.

Ricky moves Marina to her neighbour’s impressive abode, knowing that no one will be looking for her in another location. Upon another trek expressly made for Marina, he gets jumped by a group of thugs he had previously ripped off. As he staggers home severely wounded, Marina, who has now been tied in very loose fashion (by the softening and less guarded kidnapper), breaks her bonds and is searching for a way to escape the locked room. But, when she sees the bloody and bruised body of her captor, something changes in her and she helps the injured man. The two make love in an impressively authentic-feeling sex scene (that may remind some of the lovemaking found in the motion picture Don’t Look Now).

In a bizarre twist, Marina is now somehow infatuated with the damaged individual. She requests to be subdued as she does not want to tempt herself to run away. Unbeknownst to Ricky, Lola has been asked to water the next door neighbour’s outdoor flowers (as he also worked on the film), and she enters to discover her sister tied to the brass bed. Seeing a familiar face, the woman asks to be rescued and flees before Ricky returns – though does tell her sister that she thinks she loves the man. Will Ricky be tracked down and arrested by the police, will the two simply live separate lives apart from each other, or will the flawed quasi-couple find their way back together again in this most unusual love story?

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a story that thrives due to several factors. The performances by the two stars, Banderas and Abril, are superb. The couple have chemistry that sizzles. They fit together like yin and yang – they are different in almost every way, from their power positions, family lives, historical backgrounds, their jobs and so on, yet are connected together in an irregular way that somehow works. Yet there are some alluring similarities as well, as they have both lived flawed lives that consist of pain, loss and loneliness. Both struggle with their demons, be it drugs or a deep desire to connect with another human being, making them highly imperfect souls that are woefully incomplete.

Of course, you need a creative story for actors to work with, and Almodóvar has done just that. His characters are rich with depth and are certainly sympathetic despite their deep flaws. Even though Ricky is a psychopath in many ways, he is able to be an alluring and even likeable one. He truly cares for the woman he has kidnapped and feels like he can be good for her. Though he is clearly going about it in all the wrong ways, we are rooting for him in some bizarre fashion, hoping their relationship will work – as it is almost a childlike first love that we are watching.

Almodóvar, instead of using excessive shadow and light (which would be expected in this genre of film), floods the motion picture with vivid, rich colours as well as over saturated light that brings out the palette without providing shade. It has come to be known as the Almodóvar style.

Ennio Morricone’s score must also be mentioned. He scribes a dual-levelled composition that feels (at times) ominous and threatening, while at others resembles some sort of romantic lullaby.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is not your typical movie. It deals with subjects that are often not highlighted in the mainstream, yet in the capable hands of auteur Pedro Almodóvar, finds a way to flourish in wholly unexpected ways. Though it is likely not a film for everyone, it is definitely worth giving it a try. Almodóvar and Banderas have worked together seven times (five times in the 1980s and twice in the 2010s). For those of you who have seen their impressive 2011 reunion The Skin I Live In, you will likely see some comparisons between that work and this. So, don’t feel like you’re in a bind, loosen up and catch this intoxicating Spanish flick.

This film is Spanish with English subtitles.