Parallel Mothers

 

Parallel Mothers
Starring Penelope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Eleialde, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon
Directed by Pedro Almodovar

There's several directors who work with specific actors for a number of films, and it's through this trust that you get the best performances. Tim Burton/Johnny Depp, Wes Anderson/Bill Murray, Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro - there's a special connection between director and actor when they've worked together multiple times, and it's this trust that brings out the best in both in a creative aspect. The actor isn't afraid to "go there" for a specific film because their trust in the director is absolute, and it's this bond that deeply connects not just the actor and director, but the film with the audience as well. One of the most well-known and well-respected Spanish directors is Pedro Almodovar, and he's worked with two actors for several films: Antonio Banderas (with eight films), and Penelope Cruz (with six), and through these films Banderas earned his first and only Oscar nomination, while Cruz has received two - one for her work in 2006's "Volver," and once again for "Parallel Mothers." It's undeniable the passion Cruz has for Almodovar's work, and despite the often almost melodramatic nature of the film, she grounds everything with a passionate and heartfelt performance.

Janis (Penelope Cruz) is a single woman who is a successful photographer, who is also investigating the history of her ancestry, discovering a plot of land where her great-grandfather and several other men were unceremoniously buried during the Spanish Civil War. She enlists the help of forensic archaeologist Arturo (Israel Eleialde) to excavate the land, and during this time the two have a fling, and Jadis gets pregnant. Arturo isn't too excited with the idea since he's married, but she tells him she doesn't need anything from him, and she's having the baby.

While in the hospital, she meets seventeen-year-old Ana (Milena Smit), who also finds herself pregnant through unfortunate circumstances, but also decides to keep the baby, thinking her mother Teresa (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) would help take care of her, despite her own desire to become an actress. The two women bond and both give birth on the same day, and become fast friends. Months later Ana moves in with Janis to help take care of her daughter Cecilia after a tragic event, and the two grow even closer, but when Janis discovers a shocking secret, it could threaten this newfound friendship in profound ways as she also continues her investigation into her family heritage.

"Parallel Mothers" is interesting in that it tries to tell two stories at once, and they're vastly different in tone and structure. The film's beginning centers around Janis's desire to find the remains of her great-grandfather who was murdered during the infamous Spanish Civil War, and honestly to me that seemed to be the more interesting idea. There's a montage of stories that she tells about her great-grandfather and the other men who were killed in that spot, and as a history buff I was more than intrigued by that story. Unfortunately it doesn't pick up again until the end, serving as the bookends of a more intimate, personal story that obviously I can't connect with as much (since I'll never be a single mother), but thankfully this main story really delivers on every aspect.

This story is the story of two single mothers who find themselves bonding over their shared joy of giving birth on the same day, although they're totally different people. Janis is a successful almost-forty-year-old who has her life lined up almost perfectly and who doesn't need the man who got her pregnant to be a part of her child's life. Ana, on the other hand, gets pregnant through terrible circumstances, has a mother who's more interested in becoming an actress than being a mother, and who yet exhibits an inner strength that defies her outward quiet appearance. Penelope Cruz is always a consummate professional when it comes to Almodovar's work, as she's been working with him since 1997, and you can tell her desire is in this film. Equally, Milena Smit also gives a heartfelt, commanding performance as the younger Ana, who's a bit less knowledgeable about the world but who's upbringing has forced her to become wise beyond her years.

On top of Cruz returning for another Almodovar film, he reunites with frequent collaborators Antxon Gomez for production design and Jose Luis Alcaine for cinematography, and while there's moments where the sets feel straight out of a telenovela, it never looks cheap or forced due to the story that's being told in those settings.

Almodovar has always had a knack for telling strong female-centric stories, and "Parallel Mothers" is his magnum opus in that respect. Apart from Israel Eleialde's Arturo (who comes off as kind of a jerk honestly), the other major players in the film are women, and complex ones at that. Janis is wheeling from a shocking discovery that changes her whole world, but has to keep it a secret in order to maintain the status quo. Ana endures a tragic past to create her strong resolve that she harbors in the film. Even Ana's mother Teresa is given a meatier role than typical side characters as she essentially says she never wanted to be a mother, because she's always wanted to be an actress, yet she also harbors motherly feelings for Ana and her young child despite being torn away to perform in what she feels is her last-ditch effort to be a star. Throw in another Almodovar regular - Rossy de Palma as Janis's best friend and employer Elena - and you've got a strong quartet of female characters that are greater than the sum of their parts, and who all work brilliantly and magically against each other, providing the emotional depth needed as the secrets unravel and worlds collapse.

By centering on his group of regular players, Pedro Almodovar's "Parallel Mothers" excels in telling the stories of two very different women connected through childbirth and their wildly unraveling lives as they try to balance everything that comes their way.

The Score: A+