Almodóvar's latest 'Parallel Mothers' offers gripping adult drama

Penolope Cruz (left) and Ana Manso Ferreras connect through their dual pregnancies in “Parallel Mothers.” (Sony Pictures Classics)

"Parallel Mothers"
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Rated R
Now available digitally

Franchise entertainment continues to dominate cultural discourse and attention. Like professional film commentators and historians, I worry about the future viability of adult dramas capturing some of the spotlights outside of award season. That's why I was so engaged with Pedro Almodóvar's latest "Parallel Mothers," which reminded me that the most intense stakes we can experience in stories are usually personal ones.

Penelope Cruz stars as Janis, a photographer who meets an anthropologist Arturo (Isreal Elejalde) on assignment before they begin a casual affair. Janis discovers she's pregnant and, with Arturo still married, decides to keep and raise the baby herself. When she goes into labor at the hospital, her roommate is a young woman named Ana (Ana Manso Ferreras), who seems overwhelmed by the prospect of motherhood. The two women bond through the experience, trade phone numbers, and promise to stay in touch.

Months later, Arturo meets Janis and sees the baby but doubts his parentage. It's a comment that Janis cannot forget and begins a journey for her that unexpectedly complicates the lives of everyone involved.

The central spine of the movie is Janis' relationship with her family, primarily her daughter Cecilia. The comment from Arturo forces Janis into situations filled with impossible choices, where even moral, just, and good faith decisions will cause hurt to someone. Without revealing all of the movie's turns, every new conflict traps Janis in a quandary that she must resolve with no great options available. With so much of our modern culture tied to fantastical entertainments, online conspiracies, and the general harshness of day-to-day living, a movie like "Parallel Mothers" lands such an impact just because it's empathetically human.

Almodóvar's complete command of the directorial chair also distinguishes the film. The culture and community of his native country, Spain, remain present throughout "Parallel Mothers" directly and indirectly. He embraces colorful locations and clothing, avoiding the desaturation trend of the past decade of Hollywood pictures. And he gets a career highlight performance from one of his most frequent collaborators, Cruz, who skillfully embodies Janis with equality of confidence and self-doubt.

With all-ages audiences highly engaged in franchise entertainment, "Parallel Mothers" reminds us movies with personal stories, adult themes, and experienced, artistic craftsmanship can move us as much as anything in the multiverse.

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