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When you share a life-altering event with another person, it can often build a strong bond—no matter how unlikely the relationship would be under normal circumstances. Spanish writer/director Pedro Almodóvar’s latest, Parallel Mothers (Madres paralelas), explores that idea, as two very different women find their lives connected through motherhood.
Parallel Mothers follows the stories of two single mothers whose lives intersect on the day they both give birth. Janis (Penélope Cruz) is a photographer who’s always wanted a family—so she’s thankful for her unexpected pregnancy. Ana (Milena Smit) is a teenager who’s had a troubled family life and is unsure of what her future holds. The two women meet as roommates in the maternity ward—both anxiously anticipating what’s to come—and they build a close bond that continues after they bring their daughters home.
Once the women return to their homes and their lives, nothing is quite as they expect. Ana’s actress mother (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) ends up touring with her latest theatrical production, leaving Ana and her newborn daughter home with the maid. Janis deals with an inattentive nanny—and the fact that her daughter’s father, Arturo (Israel Elejalde), refuses to believe that her dark-skinned daughter is his. By the time the women run into each other again, months later, they’ve both endured hardships that no woman should have to face; Ana is carrying deep pain, while Janis is keeping a shocking secret. Both have been changed by their experiences.
From there, their story goes through a rollercoaster of emotions: romance, suspicions, jealousy, secrets. There’s also an additional storyline involving the excavation of a mass grave from the Spanish Civil War, where Janis and her family believe her great-grandfather is buried. While the lead performances are solid, the characters’ stories aren’t always convincing—especially one pivotal moment for Janis that seems to be much too simple. And, admittedly, though the challenges and changes of motherhood are sometimes universal, the average mom might have a hard time relating to women whose lives include a maid and a night nanny.
There’s so much going on in this film—so many interconnected relationships. The characters move into and out of each other’s lives, their relationships (and the characters themselves) growing and changing and transforming along the way. The stories of motherhood are rather straightforward, but it’s these gradual transformations that give the film its depth and drama.
Parallel Mothers revolves around another strong performance by Penélope Cruz—but some of the emotion of this Spanish drama gets lost in the twisting storylines. It’s all quite fascinating—though not necessarily as powerful as this story of love, loss and motherhood could have been.
Parallel Mothers will open in limited theaters on December 24, 2021.
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