Parallel Mothers

Name: Parallel Mothers
Genre: Drama
Released: December 24, 2021
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 88
Cast: Adelfa Calvo, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Daniela Santiago, Inma Ochoa, Israel Elejalde

2021

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 46 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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Parallel Mothers (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 24, 2021 | Not Rated

Starring: Adelfa Calvo, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Daniela Santiago, Inma Ochoa, Israel Elejalde, José Javier Domínguez, Julieta Serrano, Milena Smit, Penélope Cruz, Rossy de Palma

Summary: Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along theTwo women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.… Expand

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Karen Gordon

Feb 11, 2022

On the surface, Parallel Mothers is an engaging melodrama centred around a fabulous performance by Penélope Cruz. But, as is typical of Pedro Almodóvar’s movies, this easygoing, entertaining film is deeply layered, dealing with issues of personal morality and family ties, mixed with a reminder of Spain’s dark and not-so-distant fascist past. Read full review

100

Marjorie Baumgarten

Jan 20, 2022

Melodrama mixes with light-hearted touches, moral dilemmas, and historical reckoning in Almodóvar’s latest. Read full review

The Playlist Jessica Kiang

Sep 1, 2021

In a world turned careful and considered (not by choice but by necessity) this extravagant, exuberant, magnificently messy movie, punch-drunk on story and delirious with drama, is the antidote to a cinematic lethargy you may not even have known you were feeling, until one of its legitimately insane plot pirouettes forcibly reminds you just how much dimension and chaos and vitality a flat beam of light projected onto a wall can contain. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Oct 11, 2021

The film is a ghost story as well as a story of transference, which Pedro Almodóvar understands to be one in the same. Read full review

Wendy Ide

Jan 29, 2022

It’s Cruz who sets the tone, with a performance that radiates warmth and is refreshingly forgiving of her character’s flaws. She has never been better. Read full review

Richard Brody

Jan 3, 2022

Almodóvar pursues the politics of memory with uninhibited vigor, with a relentlessly physical immediacy that endows his tale of startling coincidences with the power of documentary. Read full review

The Film Stage David Katz

Sep 2, 2021

There are tonal issues, awkwardly on-the-nose dialogue and plotting; the acting from leads Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit redeems matters with their expressive emotionality, and with the controlled discipline through which they put over their director’s convoluted writing. Read full review

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User Reviews

albertocastilla

Feb 19, 2022

One of the best drama movies of 2021. Penélope Cruz gives a sublime performance and the script of the movie is original, unpredictable and full of emotion. You must to see this film.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

martin57

Mar 8, 2022

I always look forward to every Almodovar film. This is one of his best. Penelope Cruz is fantastic (again), in a story that is beautifully shot, has drama, mystery and a history lesson that is important to Spain (and the world really).

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GinaK

Feb 2, 2022

Another great film by Almodovar that is not only intensely interesting for its deeply moving political story but also for the fantastic performances by Penelope Cruz and the rest of a very fine cast.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

leandrocosta

Jan 4, 2022

Almodóvar proves his formal maturity. This is a movie about the power of memory and the power of the cinema itself. A great surprise!

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

TVJerry

Feb 4, 2022

Penélope Cruz stars as a photographer who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. When she meets a younger woman in a similar situation (Milena Smit), they form a bond. As life develops, their friendship goes thru several complications. Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar has framed the film aroundPenélope Cruz stars as a photographer who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. When she meets a younger woman in a similar situation (Milena Smit), they form a bond. As life develops, their friendship goes thru several complications. Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar has framed the film around Cruz's involving performance. He also integrates Spain's dark period under Franco's reign into the narrative. His examination of motherhood, bolstered by the strong ensemble, creates a quietly compelling examination of relationships and the power of healing. (Spanish with English subtitles)… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

davemelbourne58

Jan 30, 2022

Did not see this one coming. Go ahead and give Penelope Cruz the Best Actress Award. Her performance as a Mom who is not sure if she is ultimately cut out for the job. Great story. Great cast. I was deeply moved.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Brent_Marchant

Feb 22, 2022

As I have stated previously on numerous occasions, I believe the worst sin a film can commit is predictability, and writer-director Pedro Almodovar's latest is hampered by this issue almost from the outset. After a sluggish and overlong opening sequence when the picture's setup is beingAs I have stated previously on numerous occasions, I believe the worst sin a film can commit is predictability, and writer-director Pedro Almodovar's latest is hampered by this issue almost from the outset. After a sluggish and overlong opening sequence when the picture's setup is being established, there isn't one scene in this saga about two new mothers inextricably linked by their shared birth experiences that can't be seen coming from a mile away. The soap operatic tone and swirling overdramatic music accompanying its alleged "revelations" come across like feeble attempts at compensating for this shortcoming, but they're not enough to cover what can easily be seen from a distance. On top of this, the film's attempt at pairing this story thread with another that's almost entirely unrelated (save for some forced parallels involving ancestry and bloodline accuracy) makes for an especially odd mix (particularly since the secondary arc is actually more interesting than the first). Add to all that a wealth of needless padding brought on by excessive incidental dialogue and superfluous images, and you've got a movie that frequently drags in getting on with the story. In fact, about the only element that kept me invested in this release was the fine Oscar-nominated performance of Penelope Cruz, one of the few genuine assets this offering has going for it. Some have suggested that the director may be past his prime at this point in his career, and, based on this and his other two most recent works, "Julieta" (2016) and "Pain and Glory" (2019), I'd regrettably have to concur. This forgettable release is one that's easily skipped.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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