Parallel Mothers (2021, R)

Another international feature that got Oscar attention in more prominent categories, Parallel Mothers is the latest from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar. I’ll confess that I haven’t seen as much of Almodóvar’s work as a good pretentious film buff ought to—I haven’t seen any of his older, most renowned works. In fact, if I’m recalling correctly, this is only the third film of his I’ve seen, after Bad Education and Pain and Glory. While I think this movie is a little disjointed on the whole, it features great performances and goes to some fascinating places.

Janis, a successful photographer, crosses lives with Ana, a kind but troubled teen, when they share a maternity room at the hospital, giving birth on the same day. Though their lives are very different, the two new single mothers exchange numbers for support and companionship. As the film goes on, their lives become entangled in unexpected ways.

There are two major threads going on here: the connection between Janis and Ana and a subplot about Janis’s quest to disinter the mass grave where her great-grandfather and others from her hometown were killed by fascists (her baby daddy is a forensic anthropologist whose foundation works to recover such remains.) On the latter point, I knew a little bit about Franco and the history there, but I’d never thought much about the modern implications of families trying to locate the remains of their murdered ancestors, to give them a proper burial. That side of the film is very interesting and affecting, but at times it feels almost like it’s intruding on the main story between Janis and Ana. This feels like a story that could’ve been two different movies but Almodóvar chose to put them together, a decision that doesn’t always serve either plotline well.

As for the Janis-Ana stuff, that’s very interesting as well. Even though both of them are in the hospital to have their first baby, I like that the older Janis immediately takes Ana under her wing, offering her advice and reassurance. And afterwards, what begins as an occasional relationship of phone calls, discussing parenting and personal troubles, delves into both a stronger connection and deeper drama. The story goes to some wild places that I wasn’t expecting, but it’s very compelling to watch.

The film was nominated for two Oscars, Best Original Score and Best Leading Actress for Penélope Cruz. Cruz does a bang-up job as Janis, even if it does occasionally strain credibility that she doesn’t think she looks “presentable” when she’s at home with the baby—overstressed single mom or not, she still looks ravishing pretty much at all times. Janis radiates both strength and maternal warmth, but at the same time, she’s not untouchable. She struggles with things, and she does make major mistakes. Cruz finds a worthy screen partner in Milena Smit’s Ana, who at first seems like a sweet, timid innocent, but who’s revealed to be much more complex as she responds to obstacles she encounters in the film. The shifting dynamic between the two women is really excellent. I also enjoy Israel Elejalde as Janis’s lover Arturo.

Warnings

Strong thematic elements, sexual content, references to violence (including war crimes and images of mass graves,) language, and drinking/smoking.