'Parallel Mothers' Review: Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz Do It Again

^{(Cover Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics | Photo By Iglesias Más)}

Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz will go down in film history as one of the all-time director-actor, artist-muse pairings. From their first collaboration in 1997, Live Flesh to Cruz’s first Academy Award nomination for Volver to the critically-lauded Pain and Glory, they have defined each others’ careers, creating beautiful films as a result. Parallel Mothers adds another gorgeous piece of work to their repertoire, to no one’s surprise.

In the film, Cruz plays Janis, a photographer who becomes pregnant, committed to being a single mother like her mother before her and her mother before her. When admitted to the hospital, Janis finds herself sharing her room with a young teenager, Ana (Rossy de Palma). The two give birth on the same day, and after a brief period where both babies are taken for evaluation, Janis and Ana trade phone numbers for support and return home.

While their interaction is brief, Janis and Ana spark a friendly connection. And when they reunite months later, their lives will become more intertwined and complicated than either bargained for.

In addition to the story between Janis and Ana, there is a subplot that runs throughout the film that involves the Spanish Civil War. The father of Janis’ child, Arturo (Israel Elejalde), is an anthropologist who works for a foundation that excavates mass graves of men murdered during the war. Janis asks Arturo if he can petition the foundation to survey a field in her home village where her great-grandfather and other men from the village were killed.

This secondary plot bookends the film, adding a layer of historical gravitas and reverence to the already-poignant drama between Janis and Ana. There is a particular scene between the two wherein Janis lectures Ana about the importance of finding the grave sites and excavating them — a powerful plea from Almodóvar as to the importance of recognising the men who had their lives stolen and the families broken apart.

Weaved together, Almodóvar creates a narrative that pays tributes to generational trauma and blessings. Parallel Mothers is a touching film with smashing performances, especially from Cruz who was nominated for an Academy award for her performance. Here’s hoping that Cruz and Almodóvar continue to make films for years to come.

Parallel Mothers is in limited theatres across Canada.