Pedro Almodóvar set such a high standard of filmmaking that now and then his own creations fall short of it. This is certainly the case with his latest offering: an improvement over Dolor y gloria, not quite at the level of The Human Voice, and longer than both of these films. Milena Smit shines as Ana while Penélope Cruz’s character, Janis, is not particularly convincing. And it’s always a joy to see Rossy de Palma.
The two storylines, viz. that of “parallel mothers” and the mass grave excavations, could have been connected in a more subtle manner. The latter one seems to be added as an afterthought, and not a very well thought-through one. Which is a shame: it’s admirable that Almodóvar at last confronts Spain’s not-so-distant past. But that story is worthy of a film on its own. As it is, Madres paralelas is both disjointed and predictable, with too many bits scattered in Stanislavski’s “I don’t believe it” territory.
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