Premiering at this year’s New York Film Festival, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar reunites with actress Penélope Cruz in his latest film Parallel Mothers (OV: Madres Paralleles). The film follows two different women – middle-aged Janis (Cruz) and the adolescent Ana (Milena Smit) – who develop a deep bond as they venture into motherhood.
Unexpectedly pregnant by her on/off lover Arturo (Israel Elejaide), Janis embraces motherhood with open arms while keeping herself busy with her photography career. Ana is very different – she is unsure of her ability as a mother but quickly matures as an independent yet loving mother. But as time goes on, their different experiences and circumstances see them reunite in an unprecedented time of need.
Almodóvar somewhat treads on familiar territory with themes of motherhood and difficult platonic and romantic relationships against a sunkissed Madridian backdrop. This thematic familiarity causes the story to feel lacklustre and predictable, especially as the depth of the protagonists’ complex relationship comes to light – not to mention certain emotional aspects come across as a forced afterthought, rather than a natural development. With such a focus on these recognisable themes, the narrative suffers from half-baked aspects such as Arturo’s impact on Janis’ life, her underlying mission to uncover her family history and the backstory behind Ana’s pregnancy are briefly mentioned but subsequently add little to the story. Therefore, they needlessly stretch out its two-hour runtime.
However, Almodóvar’s endearing love to celebrate mothers empowers Parallel Mothers with an emotionality that ranges from heartbreaking to tender. Thanks to Smit and Cruz’s engaging performances, the depth conveyed by Janis and Ana shows that motherhood is a complicated journey, as unforeseen obstacles can change the future of their child. This nuance extends to other relationships in the film, the most notable being between Ana and her mother Teresa (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), who wants to leave her child with her ex-husband while she pursues her lifelong dream as an actress. Despite Teresa’s intrepidity in regaining access to Ana from Ana’s father, the fact that she is so quick to ‘abandon’ her child for a career on the stage shows that women are not automatically geared towards motherhood.
On the face of it, Parallel Mothers feels too safe for the veteran filmmaker but ultimately, is classic Almodóvar – feminist, beautiful, and full of twists and turns.
Parallel Mothers is out in UK cinemas on 28 January 2022.
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Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Stars: Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Israel Elejalde
Runtime: 120 minutes
Country: Spain