What was the inspiration for "Talk to Her"?
I wanted to tell the story of this highly sentimental man who is moved to crying by all sorts of different things. And the relationships that formed between these two men, and these two women who are lying in bed in a coma in our story. I was interested in making the character of these women be as alive and expressive as if they were standing up and talking. I was also attracted by telling the story of this psychopath, but telling from a different perspective in a way that the audience could almost not figure out that he was a psychopath initially.
But do you ever make a concession to the fact that your films are going to be seen far beyond domestic Spanish borders?
I always naively trust that international audiences will understand me as much as Spanish audiences, even if they don't share my language. I think of myself watching the films of Kurosawa and felt completely that I understood and identified with them. I think if you tell the story with your heart, sincerely and honestly, then everyone should be able to understand it.
The bullfight is one key aspect of your story. Are you a fan, and indeed do you ever identify with the notion of being a bullfighter yourself?
I identify myself very much with the bullfighter, in the sense that my work is something I do surrounded by other people, but completely alone. You get the impression that you are in the middle of an arena and everybody is watching you. Sometimes they are applauding, but there is a mystery and a secret between you and the story you are telling. Then again sometimes I identify with the bull as well.
