OSCARS 2022: Parallel Mothers (2021)

Once again, it is time for me to admit my ignorance of Pedro Almodovar. The critically acclaimed Spanish director has made 22 films and I’ve seen a mere two before, “The Skin I Live In” and “Pain & Glory.” It’s just one of those cinematic blind spots for me but I should fix that. Mainly because Almodovar is clearly considered an important, respected filmmaker by many people. Especially by the Academy, which has nominated five of his films over the last two decades and gave him a Best Original Screenplay statue for 2000’s “Talk to Her.” The latest of his films is “Parallel Mothers.” It has been equally well received and earned two nominations in this year, in the Best Actress and Best Original Score categories.

Two lives intersect in a hospital delivery room. Janis Martinez is a fashion photographer who has become pregnant following a casual affair with a married archaeologist. Ana is a teenage girl, daughter of an aspiring actress, and pregnant following a sexual assault. Janis reassures Ana as they go into labor at the same time. Shortly after taking her new daughter home, Janis begins to suspect that her child may not be her own. She soon learns that her and Ana's infants were switched at the hospital. By chance, she meets the younger mother again, inviting her to work as her nanny and maid. The two soon become entangled in a complex relationship, more secrets and tragedies revealed soon enough. 

For most of its run time, “Parallel Mothers” operates as a quietly compelling thriller about people with competing needs. Janis wants to have a child on her own terms and is more than confident in her skills as a single mother. When the child's father starts making demands of her, she cuts him out of her life. When Ana enters the picture, things grow more complicated. The two fall into a lusty romance, Ana quickly making it clear that she wants more than just a fling. Of course, there's the matter of the children, Janis' Cecilia belonging to two women who both have a claim to the child. This theme even extends to the supporting cast, as Ana's mother has pursued her dream of becoming an actress even when it's mean sacrificing caring for her daughter. “Parallel Mothers” draws you in as you wonder how these various plot threads will play out, which of these desires will win out over the others.

There's tragedy throughout these challenges too. Eventually, it comes to life that Ana's child – who is actually Janis' daughter – died of SIDS. The way the characters react to this, dealing with a horribly sad personal tragedy that Janis can't entirely address around Ana, is enticing to consider. Yet historical atrocities loom over personal ones in “Parallel Mothers.” Janis contacts the archaeologist because her great-grandparents were killed during the Spanish Civil War and buried in a mass grave. After the plotline involving Janis and Ana's child is seemingly resolved, “Parallel Mothers” turns its focus entirely to the story thread involving this piece of Spanish history. Maybe those with more familiarity with Spanish history than me could dig deeper into the meaning behind this turn-of-events. To me, it seems like “Parallel Mothers” swerves randomly in its last twenty minutes, shifting gears to another topic totally and abandoning its original premise in the process. 

Even if “Parallel Mothers'” goals seem a little muddled at times, the film still has two compelling lead performances. The nominated Penelope Cruz goes through the entire emotional spectrum as Janis. The joy she feels at having her baby is fulfilling. When she learns the truth, that her child was switched, Cruz says so much with just her face. As the situation with Ana grows more complex, Cruz continues to express a lot in the most subtle way possible. If Janis keeps her emotions close to her chest, Milena Smit's Ana is a raw nerve. She's a young girl who is going through a lot, crying and yelling her emotions as they occur to her. Watching these two play off each other is what makes the middle portion of “Parallel Mothers” so compelling. 

Almodovar directs with a quietly stylish hand. The film is mostly set in the interiors of apartments and studios and often utilizes soft fades to black, creating an intimate and personal mood. Cruz' performance and a script that draws you in and keeps you guessing are the main attributes to “Parallel Mothers.” It's melodramatic and sensual but never lurid. That it wanders off several times on topics barely related to the rest of the movie is frustrating though. By the way, I hope you don't mind that I included the controversial nipple poster to the left, which has a pretty clever design. [7/10]