You would think a team-up between filmmaker Pedro Almódovar and actress Tilda Swinton would be absolutely perfect. For many film fans, it doesn’t get better than those two. However, there is a fatal flaw with their upcoming collaboration, “The Human Voice.” You see, it’s only a short and not feature-length. And honestly, will 30 minutes be enough to fully enjoy the combination of the two?
While we still have yet to see the full short, as it is expected to do the fall film festival circuit first, Agustin Almódovar, producer and brother of Pedro, was gracious enough to share the first clip from the upcoming short. The clip doesn’t necessarily give us much context or plot, it does show the incredible Swinton in a very glamorous dress, and that’s pretty great.
For those not familiar with the short, “The Human Voice” is inspired by Jean Cocteau’s one-act play of the same name. The story follows a woman that is reeling from the final phone call she had with an ex-lover, who is supposed to marry another woman the next day. With that knowledge, you can begin to understand the emotions that are shown on the face of Swinton in the clip.
“The Human Voice” marks the first English-language production by Almódovar, who is a legend in the industry. Most recently, he released the feature film, “Pain & Glory,” which earned an Oscar nomination for Best International Film. Previously, he’s won Oscars for films such as “Talk to Her” and “All About My Mother.”
As mentioned, “The Human Voice” is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival on September 3. You can watch the clip from the short below.