REVIEW
Parallel Mothers
Stars: 5.0
Starring Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Rossy de Palma, and Julieta Serrano
Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Rated: 14A for coarse language, nudity and sexual situations, and substance use
Runtime: 123 minutes
Now available on Digital and on Blu-Ray and DVD.
- Blu-ray: 1080p High Definition / 1.85:1 | Audio: Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital (Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish)
- DVD: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen | Audio: Spanish, English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital (Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish)
Pedro Almodóvar has done it again. His new film is an unparalleled gem, or at least it would be unparalleled if it didn't already match his high standards as proven by just about every other film he has ever done. Not only is he one of the greatest filmmakers today, but he works without special effects, rather with human emotions portrayed by some of the greatest, most emotionally accessible actors. Moreover, the main characters of his films are frequently women and the scripts he writes for them are overwhelmingly real despite his oft surreal plots and plot devices.
In short, I could watch his movies all day, and rewatch his new ones relentlessly. His characters are vibrant; they make me want to know them as people and tell everyone I know about them. Parallel Mothers is his newest beauty and, true to form, it uses profound human events as catalysts for the story and for what will surely be endless hours of the viewers' contemplation afterward.
Here, Penélope Cruz plays Janis Martinez, a photographer who we first see taking photos of an important forensic archaeologist named Arturo (Israel Elejalde). She asks him to help excavate a mass grave in her home village, where her great-grandfather and other men from the village were killed and buried during the Spanish Civil War. Their fling results in a pregnancy that makes Janis a single mother. While at the hospital to deliver the child, she meets Ana (Milena Smit), a teen who eventually delivers her child at the same time. The two new moms develop a bond that lasts beyond their initial meeting.
Arturo re-enters Janis's life months later and questions his paternity of the child, leading Janis to take a genetic test, which returns with surprising, startling results. How surprising? Well, it's probably enough to give any expectant mother reason to consider a home birth. I dare you to watch this devastating and beautiful film without having tears five times over.
But what else did you expect from the Spanish master? Almodóvar knows how to play with our emotions over the horrifying yet plausible things that can and do happen in the real world. This movie is the Spanish entry to the 94th Academy Awards and for good reason: it celebrates film as much as it celebrates life. The writer/director also knows how to put the right cast members into the right roles. Frequent collaborator Penélope Cruz won the Best Actress award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival for her portrayal.
