"Hospitals are places that you have to stay in for a long time, even if you are a visitor. Time doesn't seem to pass in the same way in hospitals as it does in other places. Time seems to almost not exist in the same way as it does in other places"

Pedro Almodovar reflects on the unique and sometimes surreal experience of passing time within hospital walls. He observes that hospitals have an unusual ability to distort our usual perceptions of time, whether one is a patient or merely a visitor. The typical routines and markers of daily life seem to fade, replaced by a sense of prolonged waiting and suspended activity. The implication is that hospitals are spaces apart from the ordinary flow of time; the regular pace of life outside is replaced by an environment dominated by deadlines so urgent they feel eternal, and by intervals so slow they seem endless.

The description draws attention to the psychological impact that hospitals can have on individuals. The detachment from the outside world–with its punctuality, structure, and daily rhythms–results in a new context where clocks lose their authority, and moments blend together. This blurring of temporal boundaries can be a product of anxiety, hope, or monotony. Long waits for medical news, treatments, and the recovery process all contribute to this sense of time stretching or retracting unpredictably.

Almodovar's words emphasize the emotional resonance of hospital stays. The environment can be both isolating and unifying, as everyone inside is forced to reckon with an altered timeline, whether they are enduring or supporting, healing or simply present. Visitors may come for a short while, but the experience often feels elongated. The hospital becomes a microcosm where the outside world continues at its usual speed, but inside, experiences are heightened, sensations of time warp, and anticipation weighs heavy.

Through this perspective, Almodovar captures the profound disconnect between the internal world of hospitals and the external world beyond. This dissonance deepens the emotional experience of illness, caregiving, and hope, amplifying the sense that time itself is transformed by these moments spent among the hospital corridors.