The film is celebrated for its provocative use of Spanish cultural motifs to critique societal norms.

Silvia (Penélope Cruz), a young factory worker, becomes pregnant by José Luis, the heir to a wealthy underwear manufacturing empire.

Bigas Luna uses exaggerated archetypes—the "macho" bullfighter and the "dominant" matriarch—to satirize traditional gender roles and Spanish machismo .

José Luis’s domineering mother, Conchita, disapproves of the union and hires Raúl (Javier Bardem), a rugged ham deliveryman and aspiring bullfighter, to seduce Silvia away from her son.