Sunday Schmooze
Hosted by Fred Craden
Pedro Almodóvar’s
PARALLEL MOTHERS
Sunday, June 11th
Bagels at 10 AM | Film at 11 AM
Members $15 | Public $20
In this moving contemporary melodrama, two women, a
generation apart, find themselves inextricably linked by their brief time
together in a maternity ward. The circumstances that brought them to the Madrid
hospital are quite different—one accidental, the other traumatic—and a secret,
hiding the truth of the bond that connects these two, is a powerful story that
tackles a deep trauma in Spanish history. Penélope Cruz’s Janis is
a uniquely complex, flawed, but ultimately alluring lead character, who finds
herself in a morally and emotionally treacherous situation. She’s viewed in
contrast with Ana, radiantly portrayed by newcomer Milena Smit, a
discovery who brings a palpable innocence, pain, and longing to this interwoven
portrait of women and motherhood. These charismatic stars inhabit characters
who are singular among those drawn by Almodóvar in a career
defined by striking portraits of women. (Spain,
2021, 123min., In Spanish with English subtitles, R | Dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
