Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (Spanish: ¡Átame!, "Tie Me!") is a 1989 Spanish dark Romantic Comedy film co-written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and co-written by Yuyi Beringola. Ennio Morricone composed the soundtrack.
Ricky (Antonio Banderas) is a mental institution patient who's been recently released. He kidnaps an actress, former porn star and drug addict whom he once had a one-night-stand with, Marina Osorio (Victoria Abril), in order to make her fall in love with him, believing his destiny is to marry her and father children with her.
The film brought Banderas to the attention of Hollywood.
This film provides examples of the following tropes:
- Abduction Is Love: Ricky certainly believes it is... Though Marina grows genuine feelings for him over time.
- Addled Addict: Marina used to be a drug addict and did rehab. She resumes her ways once Ricky brings her drug he stole to the dealer on scooter (Rossy de Palma).
- Air Guitar: When Ricky is in Marina's dressing room, he put her long hair wig on and imitates a Hair Metal musician, including mimicking the guitar.
- All Germans Are Nazis: When Ricky and Marina watch TV, there's an ad about retirement pensions. At one point, it says "Germans think about retirement when they're young"... while showing young Nazi party members, with swastika armbands.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: The reason Ricky kidnaps Marina.
- Bathtub Scene: After the filming, Marina goes home, takes a bath and uses a diver toy to masturbate.
- Bound and Gagged: Ricky ties Marina up on her bed and gags her when he has to leave on his own.
- Captive Date: Ricky kidnaps Marina, for he believes his destiny is to marry her and father her children.
- Chained Heat: Whenever they have to go out, Ricky handcuffs Marina to himself so she won't run away.
- Chocolate of Romance: Before holding Marina captive in her apartment, Ricky buys a heart-shaped box of chocolates to offer to her.
- Didn't Think This Through: Ricky makes the mistake of going back to the place where drug dealers do their business. The dealer with a scooter he assaulted and stole drug to earlier is there, recognizes him, chases him with two thugs and they beat him up and steal his money and boots.
- Dirty Old Man: The old paraplegic movie director Máximo Espejo (Francisco Rabal) is quite lewd towards Marina and Lola. He also watches Marina's porn movies at his home.
- Happy Ending: Ricky and Marina end up together, with Lola accepting him in the family and promising to find him a job.
- Hidden Depths: Marina apparently has some veterinarian knowledge, given how she advises a horse's owner how to properly heal its injured hoof.
- Interrupted Intimacy: The owners of the pharmacy Ricky and Marina go to in order to buy meds for her broken tooth have closed the shop and are having sex when Ricky rings at the door.
- A Match Made in Stockholm: While being Ricky's captive, Marina grows feelings for him.
- Mrs. Robinson: The mental institution's director had an affair with Ricky, and there's a clear age gap between them (the actress, Lola Cardona, was 23 years older than Antonio Banderas).
- Ms. Fanservice: In-Universe, Marina plays these, as her image is exploited that way since she's a former porn actress.
- Musical Pastiche: For the soundtrack, Ennio Morricone found inspiration in the golden age of Italian cinema (mainly his own works and those of Nino Rota).
- Not Good with Rejection: Ricky persists even if Marina makes it clear she won't love him.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The drug dealer Ricky stole money too easily recognizes him without his fake mustache.
- A Place Holds Memories: At the end, Ricky returns to the ruins of the village where he grew up.
- Porn Creator Going Mainstream: Marina tries to be successful in more "mainstream" fare than what she used to do before (i.e. porn films).
- Really Gets Around: Ricky used to sleep not just with the mental institution's director, but also with the nurses working there.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: Just as Ricky and the mental institution's director start kissing, the window's shutters close.
- Shout-Out:
- The poster of 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers can be seen in Máximo's editing room. Almodóvar particularly loves this film.
- Marina watches George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead on TV.
- Show Within a Show: Ricky kidnaps Marina on the set of a horror film she was acting in.
- Sleeping with the Boss: The mental institution's director had sex with Ricky when he was hospitalized there. She gives him 50.000 pesetas when he is released, still having feelings for him.
- Stalker with a Crush: Ricky has an unhealthy obsession with Marina which drives him to stalk and kidnap her.
- Title Drop: Marina tells Ricky to tie her up in the final act.
- The Tooth Hurts: Ricky breaks one of Marina's teeth when assaulting her to get into the apartment. It's quite painful for her afterwards, and being a former drug addict means the pills she takes don't have much effects to ease the pain. It forces Ricky to go outside to find strong enough drugs for her.