Why wasn Pedro Almodovars “Talk to Her” Spains entry into the best foreign film category?
A. It’s not just a case of the Spanish film establishment snubbing the quirky Almodovar, although that’s probably partly the case. “Mondays in the Sun,” the film nominated by Spain, was a genuine phenomenon in the Spanish film scene, scooping up five awards earlier this month at Spain’s Goya movie awards, while “Talk to Her” picked up only one Goya award. You could also argue that “Mondays,” the story of men coping with chronic unemployment in a shipyard, has a more accessible theme than “Talk,” which tells a typically offbeat Almodovar tale about two men in love with comatose women. The director’s outspoken leftist views may have also influenced the Spanish nominating group: “Pedro’s not mainstream. He’s very outspoken in his political beliefs,” Tom Bernard, co-president of “Talk” distributor Sony Pictures Classics, told Entertainment Weekly. At least Almodovar can console himself with the knowledge that “Mondays” didn’t actually get nominated for a best foreign film Oscar, while “Tal
