Madres Paralelas

After the great success of the autobiographical ‘Pain and Glory’, Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar once again makes women the focus of his work. Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) give birth at the same time in the same hospital. Both are single; both pregnancies were unplanned. Middle-aged Janis is happy, but young Ana is scared and insecure. The few words the women exchange form the basis for a bond that will change their lives in a decisive ways… Featuring Almodóvar regulars Rossy de Palma and Julieta Serrano, this generous and constantly surprising work netted Cruz the Best Actress award at the recent Venice Film Festival.

‘Positively ringing with life… Showcasing a sure-footed performance from Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” [the English title] shapes up as a boisterous swapped-at-birth melodrama, full of mix-ups and moral quandaries… Almodóvar tackles the plot’s twists and turns with his customary energy and abandon, rustling up a robust, warm-bodied celebration of female solidarity and the makeshift families that serve as life rafts to those who feel adrift.’—Xan Brooks, The Guardian