Sam's Movie Corner: Parallel Mothers
A story of loss and rebirth, Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smitt, is a combination of humor, drama, and unexpected twists.
Almodóvar has been working in the Spanish film industry since the 1980s and has written and directed many incredible films throughout his long career. He is most known for presenting films with vibrant color palettes, queer themes, complex female figures, and idiosyncratic characters. With his latest feature, Parallel Mothers, however, Almodóvar abandons some of his signature methods. His style isn’t as exaggerated as it is in most of his other movies. Instead, he creates a modern look on relationships and family-oriented drama. Combining his unique vision with his trademark creativity, Almodóvar instantly brings the audience into these characters' lives and states of mind in order to explore motherhood, sexism, and love.
The story follows two women: Janis (Penélope Cruz), a woman in her 40s, and Ana (Milena Smit), a teenager. They end up in the same hospital room as they are both going to give birth on the same day. Both women forge a tight-knit relationship as they traverse the trials and tribulations of motherhood.
The two women’s lives parallel each other in some ways. Janis and Ana both suffer from the romantic callousness of men; Janis has sex with a married man and left to care for her child, while Ana’s pregnancy is the result of rape. Both give birth to girls.
But the two women’s paths inevitably intersect in a messy entanglement of betrayal, loss, and love. Janis and Ana’s marital and motherly problems collide and clash. Both women become dragged into--or drag themselves into--a convoluted web spun by Almodóvar.
It’s clear that Almodóvar understands melodrama more than any current screenwriter or director. His ability to somehow communicate authenticity through what could easily come off as exaggeration is unparalleled. Although the seemingly twisty and explosive turns in the story may not be entirely unpredictable, they are always brought together with both a sense of mystery and compelling emotion.
Undoubtedly, the clear star here is Penélope Cruz, who plays Janis. Cruz has been a household name in the movie industry for the past two decades. Her combination of vehemence and amiability brings an unaltered and unique charisma to the screen that is both distinct and familiar. As her character moves through her personal narrative while exhibiting shifting emotions, the viewer cannot feel unengaged from the narrative. While her beauty graces the screen, it’s her depth that transcends it. On many occasions, Almodóvar has called Cruz one of his favorite muses. And the chemistry between director and actress is on full display in Parallel Mothers.
Cruz, who has already won “Best Supporting Actress” in the 2007 Oscars for Vicky Christina Barcelona, should be walking away with her first “Best Actress” win for this role, as she gives what is easily my favorite performance of the year. It’s a real shame that she will probably not end up receiving a nomination due to the Academy’s bias against foreign language films and the fact that she has not received much attention throughout the awards season so far.
Regardless of whatever accolades it may or may not win, Parallel Mothers is a film that is raw, female-centric, intense, sorrowful, messy, and complicated. It’s about mothers who, more often than not, aren’t quite parallel.
