Marisa Paredes in High Heels
This past weekend, I was watching movies by the great Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, and I realized that on December 17, 2024, the great Marisa Paredes had passed away. One of his actresses who shone with her performances, not only with the Manchego but also with other great filmmakers like Roberto Benigni or Guillermo del Toro, among others.
One of the greatest actresses of Spanish cinema left this world in December 2024 due to a sudden cardiac failure, and figures like Cecilia Roth, Antonio Banderas, and Pedro Almodóvar reacted and expressed their condolences over the unexpected passing of the artist.
The actress, who participated in more than 75 films, as well as 80 television series and 15 plays, was artistically recognized with several awards: such as a Goya for her career, the National Cinematography Award, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, the Great Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris, and the Silver Fotogram on six occasions. Finally, on December 24 of last year, the government of Pedro Sánchez awarded her a posthumous prize, the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, which is one of the highest honors of the Spanish state and is typically reserved for heads of state, political figures, or institutional representatives.
And it is for this reason that I want to review the most outstanding films internationally, as a Almodóvar girl, and it is that Paredes' career with the director was very intertwined since her film repertoire grew alongside his, as Marisa participated throughout four decades in the filmography of the Manchego filmmaker.
1. Between Darkness (1983)
The first work alongside the director, in which Marisa plays "Sister Manure", a masochistic nun who is prone to consuming LSD. Figures like Carmen Maura, Chus Lampreave, and Julieta Serrano, among others, accompanied the cast of this feature film where Almodóvar "concluded" the stage of the Transition (Spain was a country in transition, politically due to the dictatorship) with a story of nuns, drugs, and lesbianism.
2. High Heels (1991)
On this occasion, Paredes plays a well-known and egocentric singer "Becky del Páramo," who has a troubled and disorganized relationship with her daughter. In this film, Paredes gives an exceptional performance of the song by Luz Casal: "Think of Me," which fits perfectly with Marisa's character.
3. The Flower of My Secret (1995)
A brilliant Marisa Paredes plays Leo Macías, a very successful writer who breaks sales records with the novels she publishes under the pseudonym Amanda Gris. The pain and bewilderment that Paredes reflects is extraordinary as it conveys the suffering of a woman who frees herself from work and marital impositions.
4. All About My Mother (1999)
Paredes plays Huma Rojo, a mature theater diva who has a relationship with Nina, played by Candela Peña, a heroin addict, where Huma tries to save her and save herself through a painful relationship while always hoping for the kindness of strangers to be able to trust without being hurt. The quintessential movie by Pedro Almodóvar where his entire cast shone in its full splendor, figures like Cecilia Roth, Penélope Cruz, Eloy Azorín, Candela Peña, and Marisa Paredes made this film the winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, as well as three Goya awards.
5. Talk to Her (2002)
Although her appearance is very brief, her presence adds a layer of distinction and magnetism to a story full of sensitivity as the feature touches on themes like loneliness and human relationships.
6. Talk to Her (2011)
The last collaboration with the Manchego director in 2011, where she played Marilia, the housekeeper of the unbalanced Dr. Ledgard, portrayed by Antonio Banderas, who is the mother of a dangerous rapist, a character played by Roberto Álamo, who threatens and gags his mother in very violent ways.
While Marisa Paredes worked a lot with Almodóvar, she also collaborated in internationally acclaimed and Oscar-winning films with directors like Roberto Benigni and Guillermo del Toro.
Marisa was under the direction of the Italian, where she played the mother of the protagonist, Dora, represented by Niccoleta Braschi. A character where, although it is a supporting role, she shone and conveyed a decisive role in the course and growth of the film.
8. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Paredes brings to life Carmen, the director of an orphanage, in a Spain of the early 20th century, with a story of ghosts and friendship intertwined. Her character, full of contradictions and very complex, adds a layer of balance between authoritarianism and fragility.
Marisa Paredes, the great lady of Spanish cinema, who with her dramatic performances and tough stories, knew how to give us her heart and delivered it in each character, adding layers of rawness and irreverence, but at the same time of tenderness and innocence; she left this world, but as such a star, we will always remember her in the films that have made history.
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