Review: Pedro Almodóvar’s 'Parallel Mothers' with Penélope Cruz looks at two expectant mothers—one happily so, the other not
The colors alone are a tip-off—cheery pastels that, combined with bright nothing-bad-could-happen-in-this-story lighting, announce “Parallel Mothers” as another Pedro Almodóvar film. Penélope Cruz is Janis—her hippie mother named her after Janis Joplin—a magazine photographer who, in the radiance of her 40th year, discovers with delight that she’s pregnant, and will soon be a single mother. Janis shares a maternity-hospital room with another single-mother-to-be.
There’s so much to sort out that Ms. Cruz may be the best place to begin. She is her usual incandescent self. She is also, in a sense, all but impossible to find—a tribute to her ability to disappear within her roles. Watch some actors, even very good ones, and you catch glimpses of the wheels turning, the performer at work.
A funny aside at the beginning foretells a shattering climax. Janis is shooting a celebrated, gravely handsome forensic archaeologist, Arturo , for a cover story; the magazine wants him to pose with a couple of skulls, à la “Hamlet” and the grave-digger scene.
All of the performances are superb. Ms. Smit is a special revelation. This is only her second feature, though you’d never know it from the alacrity and intensity of her scenes with Ms. Cruz. Still, it’s hard for a while to see how Mr.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
After ‘Parallel Mothers,’ Penelope Cruz Wants to Make a Musical Next With Pedro AlmodovarPenélope Cruz first met Pedro Almodóvar when she was cast in his 1997 film, “Live Flesh.” Almodóvar had originally wanted her to star in “Kika,” but Cruz was too young for t…
Read more »
'The Family Chantel': Pedro Breaks Down and Calls Himself a 'Mistake'Pedro painfully talks about being the product of an affair and his dad not wanting to see him growing up.
Read more »
The Marias Talk Debut Album, Pedro Almodovar Influence and Grammy NominationDrawing influences from film and specifically Pedro Almodovar classics, CINEMA’s genre-bending sound features reggaeton, indie, and rock en Español.
Read more »
China to halve settlement fees for stock index futures and bond futures trading in 2022China's financial futures exchange said on Friday it will halve settlement fees for stock index futures and bond futures trading in 2022.
Read more »
Starved for content? New Japanese TV offers 'lickable' screen - CNN VideoA professor in Japan has created a television that uses ten different flavor 'canisters' to create different tastes.
Read more »
Reese Witherspoon Shouts-Out Nurses Like Her Mom'I've watched my mother save people's lives.'
Read more »