Parallel Mothers (2021)

Calhoun presents the film as a haunting, resonant exploration of Spain’s past and present. He singles out Penélope Cruz’s magnificent performance.

Jenkins regards the film as one of Almodóvar’s finest, praising its emotional depth and assured filmmaking. He especially singles out Penélope Cruz’s performance as extraordinary and emotionally powerful.

Chang gives the film a strongly admiring verdict, praising how Almodóvar intertwines motherhood with the legacy of the Spanish Civil War. He singles out Penélope Cruz’s radiant, complex performance as the story’s emotional center.

Latif calls the film an outstanding melodrama and praises the trust between Almodóvar and Cruz. Cruz’s performance is singled out for its ability to convey Janis’s devastation with quiet intensity.

Brody finds the film a breathless, politically urgent melodrama whose personal stories make historical memory essential. He especially praises Penélope Cruz’s focused performance and Almodóvar’s vivid, documentary-like treatment of the mass-grave excavation.

Gleiberman finds the film moving and emotionally grounded, calling it Almodóvar’s best since All About My Mother. He praises its transporting final unification of motherhood’s life force with the history of Franco-era atrocities.

The critic calls it one of Almodóvar’s most robust and moving melodramas, praising how it intertwines personal family stories with Spain’s history. He particularly singles out the film’s layered cross-associations and vivid décor as ways of revealing how the past shapes the present.

Barber finds the film breezy and inviting, though its familiar melodrama does not grip as strongly as its storytelling charms. He praises the moving conclusion, which gives emotional weight to the story of Spanish Civil War disappearances.

Freer finds the film terrifically entertaining, though its grip slackens in the middle. He especially praises Penélope Cruz, whose empathetic performance grounds the film’s outlandish turns.

O'Sullivan calls the film naughty and knotty, ranking it among Almodóvar’s best work. She singles out Penélope Cruz’s performance as the force underpinning the film.

The review finds the film gripping and emotionally satisfying as it combines melodrama with Spanish Civil War history. It particularly praises Penélope Cruz’s glowing performance as a woman coping with heartbreaking deception.

Rooney finds the melodrama gripping and emotionally satisfying, despite predictable disclosures and fewer intricately layered elements than Almodóvar’s finest work. He especially praises Penélope Cruz’s performance and the film’s sumptuous visual design.

Brooks finds the film turbulent but generous, ultimately hopeful, despite some ingredients not quite gelling. He praises its warm celebration of female solidarity and its ambition in connecting family secrets with Spain’s violent past.

Dargis’s review is positive about Almodóvar’s melodrama and its intertwining of personal and historical stories. It singles out the film’s women and their relationships for praise.

The standfirst presents the film as a powerful story of loss and remembrance. It highlights that story as the film’s central strength.

Newland finds the melodrama warm and deeply felt, though overstuffed and messy. She singles out Penélope Cruz’s career-best performance for praise.

The standfirst presents the film’s search for personal and historical truth as its driving force. It singles out the film’s openly political focus, but the available text does not reveal a fuller verdict.

The review calls the film an audacious, radically human work that balances melodrama with political maturity. It praises Almodóvar’s restrained handling of the women’s emotional lives and the film’s probing of historical memory.

Bunbury calls the film a triumph, praising Almodóvar’s delicate handling of love, loss and historical trauma. She also singles out its emotionally powerful score and wallop of an ending.

Keogan finds the film a deeply political and emotionally devastating reckoning with Spain’s history. She praises Penélope Cruz’s performance and the film’s sensitive treatment of unresolved family and national trauma.

Shaffer finds the film both a familiar Almodóvar work and a meaningful artistic evolution. He especially praises how it connects the director’s recurring themes to Spain’s unresolved Civil War trauma and women’s strength.

The review finds Almodóvar’s melodrama politically weighty and ultimately hopeful. It particularly praises Penélope Cruz’s performance and the film’s compassionate treatment of motherhood and historical memory.

Robertson finds the film richly rewarding for Almodóvar fans, though its approach to history is tonally weaker. He particularly praises Milena Smit’s presence and José Luis Alcaine’s cinematography.

The critic finds the film rougher and less cohesive than Almodóvar’s recent work, but exciting in its ambition and vitality. They praise the director’s visual craft and the performances, especially the leads’ wordless exchanges.