History Film / WomenOnTheVergeOfANervousBreakdown

* SlippingAMickey: Pepa mixes up sleeping pills in her gazpacho. Later, Marisa finds the gazpacho in the fridge and eats some. She passes out in Pepa's kitchen. Still later, Pepa uses it to get the cops out of the way.

* ReallyGetsAround: Deconstructed with Ivan. He dallies with various women and dumps them cruelly. [[LaserGuidedKarma It comes back to bite him]] when one of those women decides to kill him, and his most recent ex-lover, who saves him, finally realizes he's not worth it and doesn't take him back.

* OutdatedOutfit: The film is set in TheEighties, but Carlos' mother (and Ivan's ex) still wears outfits from TheSixties along with the typical Twiggy eye make-up. It's justified since she hasn't taken well the fact that she spent 20 years in an asylum while her youth and beauty faded.

* ReallyGetsAround: Deconstructed with Ivan. He dallies with various women and dumps them cruelly. The secretary at the film studio tells Pepa about this, that Ivan is not worth a phone call, and mutters how women like her never learn.

* TheEndingChangesEverything: Everyone thinks that Pepa is acting erratically while trying to track down Ivan, given her spiking the gazpacho with sleeping pills. Carlos comments on her breaking the phone the second time. [[spoiler:She then reveals to Marisa that she's pregnant and decided to not get back together with Ivan. It puts her behavior in a new light]].

** The daily news showed in Pepa's television report some Shia terrorists captured by the police but a Spanish accomplice still unknown. [[spoiler: Said accomplice is Candela, although unwillingly.]]
** Pepa is shown fainting several times and retires her test results from her doctor, which Carlos eventually reads and immediately grows concerned for her health [[spoiler: She is pregnant, as she reveals in the last scene.]]

* FreezeFrameEnding: Ends with a freeze frame of Pepa and Marisa on the terrace. Interestingly, the entirety of the credits runs over the freeze frame; there's no black background.

* LoveMartyr: A common theme is the LoveHurts. Candela falls in love with a man that is revealed to be a Shia terrorist, Pepa has been hurt and stood up by Ivan (a narcissist and a deadbeat dad) countless times.
* MissedHimByThatMuch: Pepa misses Ivan by seconds as she's leaving his apartment building, then Ivan misses her by seconds, then Ivan doesn't notice her in a phone booth as he passes it.

* ChekhovsBoomerang: The sleeping pills that an anxious Pepa mixes up in her gazpacho. She takes a sip which doesn't affect her, but when Marisa finds the gazpacho in the fridge and eats some, she passes out in Pepa's kitchen. Then later, when Pepa needs to get the cops out of the way so she can stop Lucia at the airport, she feeds them the gazpacho as well.

* CreatorCameo: Augustin Almodovar (Pedro's brother), the producer of the film, plays an architect Pepa meets with at one point.

* AmoralAttorney: Paulina Morales seems to be this way. She refuses to serve as a client to Candela when Pepa asks her for help, saying that the best thing Candela can do is turn herself in, even though Pepa knows that Candela needs legal representation.

* BreakupBonfire: Pepa sets in fire a goddamn ''bed'' with hers and Ivan's memorabilia on it.
* CampStraight: The Mambo taxi driver. You'd bet he is gay because of his fixation with Mambo, the leopard-printed car seats and his general mannerisms. Then he asks an autograph from Pepa for his girlfriend.
* ChekhovsBoomerang: The sleeping pills that an anxious Pepa mixes up in her gazpacho. She does not drink it, but when Marisa finds the gazpacho in the fridge and eats some, she passes out in Pepa's kitchen. Then later, when Pepa needs to get the cops out of the way so she can stop Lucia at the airport, she feeds them the gazpacho as well.

** Pepa calls a taxi three time. She always comes across the same driver.

* CampStraight: The Mambo taxi driver. You'd bet he is gay because of his fixation with Mambo, the leopard-printed car seats and his general mannerisms. Then he ask an autograph from Pepa for his girlfriend.

** Pepa is shown fainting several times and retires her test results from her doctor, which Carlos eventually reads and thus becomes more caring towards her. [[spoiler: She is pregnant, as she reveals in the last scene.]]
** Paulina Morales, the lawyer, is extremely rude towards Pepa although they never met. [[spoiler: She's Ivan's new girlfriend,and while she is aware of Pepa's identity, Pepa isn't aware of hers.]]

* GoodStepmother: Pepa is thrilled to learn that Ivan has a son and is very warm towards him when he unexpectedly shows up at her apartment. After all, she almost was his stepmother [[spoiler: and is pregnant with Carlos' half-brother.]]

* OutdatedOutfit: The film is set in TheEighties, but Carlos' mother (and Ivan's ex) still has TheSixties tipical clothing style and heavy make-up. It's justified since she hasn't taken well the fact that she spent 20 years in an asylum while her youth and beauty faded.

* OutdatedOutfit: The film is set in TheEighties, but Carlos' mother (and Ivan's ex) still has TheSixties tipical clothing style and heavy make-up. It's justified since she doesn't adjust weel to the fact she spent 20 years in an asylum while her youth and beauty faded.

** The daily news showed in Pepa's television report some Shia terrorists captured by the police but a Spanish accomplice still unknown. [[spoiler: Said accomplice is Pepa, although unwillingly.]]

* PsychoExGirlfriend: Lucia is a textbook example. She lost her sanity after being dumped by Ivan and was committed to an asylum. She decides that the only way she can forget about him is having him murdered.

* YourCheatingHeart: Pepa knows Ivan has another lover, although she doesn't know who. Also Carlos kisses Candela twice while his girlfriend is asleep.

* YourCheatingHeart: Pepa knows Ivan has another lover, although she doesn't know who. Also Carlos kisses Candela twice while his girlfriend is asleep.

* ChekhovsBoomerang: The sleeping pills that an anxious Pepa mixes up in her gazpacho to help her sleep. She never does get a chance to sleep, but when Marisa finds the gazpacho in the fridge and eats some, she passes out in Pepa's kitchen. Then later, when Pepa needs to get the cops out of the way so she can stop Lucia at the airport, she feeds them the gazpacho as well.

* ContrivedCoincidence: Madrid's a big city but Carlos can still arrive completely at random at his father's lover's apartment.

* FollowThatCar: Pepa gets into a cab and says "Follow that cab." The driver replies, "I thought this only happened in the movies."

* OutdatedOutfits: The film is set in TheEighties, but Carlos' mother (and Ivan's ex) still has TheSixties tipical clothing style and heavy make-up. It's justified since she doesn't adjust weel to the fact she spent 20 years in an asylum while her youth and beauty faded.

* PsychoticLover: Lucia is revealed to be as crazy as she ever was. She decides to go to the airport to murder Ivan.

* YourCheatingHeart: Pepa knows Ivan has another lover, although she doesn't know who.

* ShoutOut: Pepa does the Spanish dub for Creator/JoanCrawford In ''Film/JohnnyGuitar''.