REVIEW - 'Parallel Mothers' (2021)

How did humanity start to evolve? How was history created? Why does it keep repeating? Because once upon a time, a man and a woman made love, but in reality, only the woman stayed and took care of that love.

“Parallel Mothers” (2021) is about two mothers of different generations and backgrounds, and an unexpected turn of events and challenges. It looks at not just who they are as mothers, but also as the women that they believed to be.

Making History and Contributing to a Better Future

Seeing these two characters, you’d expect who would be the good mother and the bad one. Janis grew up empowered and loved, while Anna was clueless and cast aside. But this film proves that expectations can be broken easily. These two women show us that a mother can have a choice, and will always choose for her child. A mother can be selfish, yet still caring. She can have a job, and still make mistakes. She can choose to raise her child the way her parents used to, or she can raise them however she wants. They’re not the ones that take orders, because in the first place, they’re the ones making history and also contributing for a better future.

This is my first Pedro Almodóvar film, and I have no clue how his films usually work. I didn’t get the historical context at first, but the intention still counts. I have to say that I don’t dig soap-opera-like visuals because it looks trying and awkward. But all of this are remedied with exceptional performances.

Penélope Cruz is phenomenal in this film. And as it stands, she’s the only woman of color nominated for ‘Best Actress’ at this year’s Academy Awards. She has the normal stance of a strong-willed woman, and the character of Janis suits her very well. But her performance of Janis’ dramatic moments are truly astonishing. I also loved hearing her speak in Spanish, because she expressed the character in a splendid and meaningful way.

A scene from Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers.” (Photo: El Deseo).

Great Performances by Cruz and Smit

I wished we could hear more non-American Hollywood actresses speak in their mother tongue. But not to limit them or highlight their “exoticism;” rather it gives them a chance to communicate in a way that they’re comfortable with and represented. Milena Smit’s performance deserves recognition in this film too. There’s a lot of young actresses that can portray a young mother, but Milena’s performance of Anna showed a sensitive yet powerful woman.

History may repeat itself, and the same circumstances might happen to our future children and grandchildren, but “Parallel Mothers” showed us that we can still choose differently, and it doesn’t mean that we would dishonor our ancestor’s memory. Every choice has different reasons that fits with the present time, and somehow the intention of that choice still parallels with our ancestor’s choices. Janis and Ana are also the product of their ancestors. They might have chosen differently, but just like their mothers and grandmothers, they chose for the future of their children.