Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Original title: Átame!

1989
NC-17
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

33K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:25

Dark Comedy Comedy Crime Drama Romance

An unbalanced but alluring former mental patient takes a porn star prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him.An unbalanced but alluring former mental patient takes a porn star prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him.An unbalanced but alluring former mental patient takes a porn star prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

33K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,418

194

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 8 wins & 19 nominations total

Lola
(as Loles Leon)

Julieta Serrano

Alma

María Barranco

Berta
(as Maria Barranco)

Rossy de Palma

Traficante de drogas en Vespa

Francisco Rabal

Máximo Espejo

Lola Cardona

Directora Psiquiátrico

Montse García Romeu

Montse
(as Montse G. Romeu)

Emiliano Redondo

Decorador

Oswaldo Delgado

Fantasma

Concha Rabal

Farmacéutica

Alberto Fernández

Productor
(as Alberto Fernandez)

José María Tasso

Anciano Psiquiátrico
(as Jose Maria Tasso)

Angelina Llongueras

Montadora

Manuel Bandera

Bailarín Tango

Virginia Díez

Bailarín Tango
(as Virginia Diez)

Juana Cordero

Dependiente Bombonería

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
One of the films (along with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)) that was instrumental in bringing about the introduction of the NC-17 rating in the U.S., as the film's distributor, Miramax, took the MPAA to court over the X certification it had initially been designated. According to Pedro Almodóvar, the MPAA did not believe an R rating was appropriate, even after cuts, because they were afraid that the film would inspire young men to kidnap young women out of lust. Miramax argued that an X rating implicated pornography and would diminish the film's audience, but they lost the lawsuit and it was released unrated. In September 1990, the MPAA replaced the X rating with the then-newly created NC-17 rating in response to numerous appeals by other filmmakers who had released their films under similar circumstances in the past. Eventually, the film was re-rated NC-17 for its first two (of three) U.S. home video releases (it was re-released unrated the third time; see below), the reason being the explicit scene of a naked Marina taking a bath in her apartment and masturbating in the bathtub under the water with an activated swimming scuba diver wind-up toy.

Goofs
When Ricky accepts the offer to take Marina out to search for painkillers for her toothache, she puts on a tiny white dress that only goes down to the tops of her thighs and only just barely conceals her crotch and buttocks in order to cover her completely naked body underneath it. When they both return to Marina's apartment, she takes off the dress, but now she is naked except for a pair of white panties that were not there before.

Quotes
Ricky: I'm 23 years old, I have 50,000 pesetas, and I'm alone in the world. I'll try to be a good husband to you and a good father to your children.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Short Time/Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!/Wild Orchid/Without You I'm Nothing/Santa Sangre (1990)

Soundtracks
Canción del alma
Written by Rafael Hernández
Performed by Loles León

User reviews83

Review

Featured review

A gripping movie, and often misunderstood

After all I heard and read about this movie, I think this one of the most commonly misunderstood movies ever. It is not a comedy (although sometimes bizarre). It is NOT a glorification of violence. It is not about S/M or Bondage (which occurs between consenting parties). It's message is NOT that if you tie up and beat a woman, she will love you in return.

This is a movie about two people who are unable to master life on their own. This has led Ricky to the mental ward and Marina to being a drug-addicted porn star, who just happens to have a streak of luck because a movie director is completely obsessed with her. In the end, the two have found each other and it looks as if together, they can find the happiness and home they always were looking for. Beautiful...

Yes, Ricky's method of convincing Marina to love him is horrible and unacceptable. His attitude toward women and life in general is seriously twisted, and he just cannot think of any other way to get what he needs to fulfill his desire of living what he considers an ordinary life. Why does Marina fall for it? Probably because he's the first person who ever seemed to care about her. He fights to get her, he fights to help her. Even if his interest in her is ruthless and possessive, it is a genuine, deep interest and that is what she has been missing all her life.

I found Atame to be a fascinating and remarkable movie. Watch it open-minded and try to look beneath the pure surface of the plot, and you will be moved and captivated by its beauty.