A scene from ‘Parallel Mothers’

Review: ‘Parallel Mothers’ ties its characters into complex knots

‘Parallel Mothers’ follows two single mothers who meet by chance at the hospital and become unexpectedly intertwined as they both confront deep traumas.

Secrets, old and new, can be a heavy burden on the keeper. However, there’s many circumstances in which keeping a confidence may seem necessary. For instance, revealing it may cause avoidable harm or it may not be your secret to tell. Conversely, things that are hidden to cover illegal and/or immoral acts need to be exposed so healing and justice can be had by those affected. Regardless of the reasons, some secrets are more difficult to keep than others, garnering sympathy for the one keeping a buttoned lip, while others are more challenging to uncover, earning admiration for those who succeed. In Parallel Mothers, a woman finds herself trying to maintain one façade and simultaneously unearth a long-buried crime.

Janis (Penélope Cruz) is a successful fashion photographer. After a session with a forensic anthropologist (Israel Elejalde), she asks him to help exhume a mass grave containing the body of her great-grandfather and nine others who were among the 100,000 citizens that went “missing” during the Spanish Civil War. The two also have an affair, resulting in a late-in-life pregnancy that thrills Janis, but ends their relationship. Months later, Janis shares her hospital room with Ana (Milena Smit), a soon-to-be teen mom whose pregnancy was less of a joyous event. However, after some encouragement and support, she becomes determined to create a happy life with her child. The new single mothers take their daughters home, only fleetingly staying in touch until their paths cross again some time later and their friendship grows more complicated.

Over the course of just a couple of years, Janis finds herself in long-desired, new and momentous positions. She’s delighted to be a first-time mother, but circumstances no one could have foreseen cast a shadow on her joy — though she ensures no one else suspects even the smallest cloud exists. Janis surrounds herself with support and has no ego when it comes to providing for her daughter. In the meantime, her lengthy pursuit to bring closure to at least 10 families whose loved ones were taken away in the night never to return may finally be coming to a head. Janis is especially conscious of the country’s attempts to forget certain atrocities, schooling Ana on the harsh realities of their ancestors and committing to right at least this one wrong.

Both Janis and Ana experience extreme transformations over the course of the picture and although motherhood initiates it, they are both allowed to be more than just caregivers. Director Pedro Almodóvar sets out to tell two stories that intersect in Janis, though one somehow manages to make difficulties with the other easier to accept — which is quite incredible considering the magnitude of the trouble. Cruz, consequently, delivers an exceptionally nuanced performance as she experiences a range of emotions, both external and internal, trying to aid audiences in understanding her choices regardless of whether they agree. In the meantime, newcomer Smit holds her own opposite the veteran, bringing all the uncertain energy of a hard-pressed adolescent to life. Interestingly, in spite of the hardships both women encounter, they maintain an incomprehensible glass-half-full attitude.

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit and Israel Elejalde

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