Theatrical release of “Parallel Mothers”
Another typical Pedro Almodóvar?
Janis (Penélope Cruz, right) and Ana (Milena Smit) are both expecting a child.
© El Deseo / Studio Canal 2021
On March 10th, Pedro Almodóvar will be back with “Parallel Mothers”. With his favorite leitmotifs and legitimate Oscar hopes.
The films by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (72) are mostly something like the antithesis of classic popcorn cinema. But what sometimes unites even his weirdest works: Even the questionable Stockholm syndrome love story “Ty me up!” and the violent gender reassignment horror “The Skin I Live In” end with a happy ending. He returns to the screen on March 10 with his drama “Parallel Mothers”. Of course again with one of his favorite “Chicas Almodóvar” in his luggage, Penélope Cruz (47) – and maybe a happy ending too?
Motherhood versus existential fears – that’s what it’s all about
“Parallel Mothers” – or “Madres paralelas”, as it is called in the original – tells the story of Janis (Cruz), who is firmly established in life, and the insecure 17-year-old Ana (Milena Smit, 25). The unequal women get to know each other in the maternity ward of a hospital, both singles are expecting a child.
After the birth of the children, Ana and Janis lose touch for a while. When they meet again one day by chance, a lot has happened in their respective lives. Ana had to accept a terrible blow of fate and Janis increasingly doubts whether the child she is raising as a single mother is hers at all.
The question of before and after
In “Parallel Mothers” Almodóvar deals with the question of origin in two ways. Main character Janis is not only looking for this in her baby, but also in herself. Her grandfather was murdered during the Spanish Civil War and buried in a mass grave. An elaborate exhumation of the victims should finally bring peace to the restless relatives.
So once again the director tackles one of his favorite subjects, the question of identity. The same goes for “Parallel Mothers” for other of his typical leitmotifs: blurring gender boundaries, sexual and emancipatory liberation, strong female heroines – but also kitsch.
The next Oscar guarantor?
A mixture that has proven to be extremely successful. He has already been nominated for an Oscar five times and won two – in 1999 for the “Best Foreign Language Film” called “All About My Mother” and in 2002 for his original screenplay for “Talk to Her”.
Quite surprisingly, Parallel Mothers, which received a minute-long standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for a golden boy this year. Penélope Cruz can hope for this on Sunday night, March 27th. She is in the award for “Best Leading Actress”. The strip was also nominated for “Best Film Music”.