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Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Pena, Penelope Cruz This is perhaps the most well-known of Almodóvar's films and was a pretty big success back in 1999, at least for a Spanish movie. All About my Mother is about Manuela, a single mother with a 17 year old son who unexpectedly dies while trying to get an autograph from a famous actress. After mourning his death, she travels to find his father, with her life slowly becoming intertwined with that of the famous actress due to a series of coincidences. I won't reveal the identity of the father, but it was pretty surprising, at least for me. Almodóvar isn't as interested in plot as he is in the feelings he can get out of his actors. Hence, the movie feels more like a collection of emotionally strong scenes rather than a strong narrative. Thankfully, this isn't done in a self-indulgent way ala Bertolucci with Last Tango in Paris but in a tasteful and interesting manner. I always found it engaging even though it lacked a cohesive structure. Either way, I guess the National Treasure crowd won't like it, but I thought it was one of the best European movies I've ever seen. Thoroughly recommended. RATING: 5.0 PROS: Great acting, scripting and directing and music CONS: Probably too loose and unstructured for some people ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185125/
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Mar 6, 2005 11:52
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 02:38 |
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Probably not my very favorite Almodóvar film, but very good and well worth seeing. Almodóvar has a great eye for merging sensational "trash" cinema with serious drama -- his films can be (deliberately) a little sleazy and voyeuristic but there's obvious affection and depth shown with the characters. Much of "Todo Sobre Mi Madre" takes place in the subcultures of transgenderism and the theatrical world. One of the movies main storylines is based on a performance of "A Streetcar Named Desire". Almodóvar's films have maybe become a little more sentimental over time -- this seems more emotionally contemplative compared to earlier films like "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" or "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down", yet still has a similar kind of loose, impressionistic structure shared with those earlier works. Overall this movie didn't haunt me the way that great movies do afterwards, but it's very good, and there's lot of interesting texture, and plenty to reward careful viewing. I like this movie a lot. 4.0/5
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Mar 9, 2005 15:36
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