There are countless movies out there showing the struggles of motherhood, and that of single parents. Most only focus on the overarching issues and while audiences can usually relate to them – they don’t show the complexity of the issues that a lot of single mothers face. Parallel Mothers, attempts to tackle it from another perspective – and faces some of the worst-case scenarios.
Parallel Mothers, was written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and is the story of two single women who give birth on the same day in the same birthing suite. One is an older mother who made the choice to keep the child from a relationship that she had, and the other is a teen mom whose pregnancy came from a less than ideal situation. Bonded over the birth of their daughters, the movie follows them throughout the first year or so after birth.
The concept for Parallel Mothers is unique and shows motherhood and struggles we don’t usually see on the screen. And the boilerplate for the film is one that will pull audiences in, but the movie is completely in Spanish with subtitles for English-speaking audiences. This will most likely limit the number of people who see the film. While it has an interesting concept, it does have a narrow audience pool that is made smaller in the general US movie market.
The movie tackles a lot of issues from love, family relationships and issues, loss, love, and even manipulation and pain. Because it covers so many different things, all while the two women struggle through different stages of motherhood, it does seem that it jumps around a bit.
But there was something else – it seems like the story, could have and possibly should have ended before it actually does. There is a definite point in the movie that you feel that the movie should end and the credits should start rolling. Instead, the movie continues on for another forty minutes – which almost seems to drag on. I understand trying to give the characters an ending and the audience a resolution to some of the storylines they started along the way. But when it doesn’t actually add to the main story – it seems the last part of the movie was unneeded.
Parallel Mothers will be in theaters this weekend, and while the story of love and loss is one the movie seems to get in its own way quite a bit.
Overall Rating:
Get Your Tickets Now:
About Parallel Mothers
Two single women meet in a hospital room where they are both going to give birth. One is middle aged and doesn’t regret it, while the other is adolescent and scared. The two women form a strong bond with one another as they both confront motherhood.
