Parallel Mothers
Parallel Mothers
7.196%77%
Two unmarried women who have become pregnant by accident and are about to give birth meet in a hospital room: Janis, in her late-thirties, unrepentant and happy; Ana, a teenager, remorseful and frightened.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 14, 2025
It was kind of fitting that I watched this the same day they announced The Maury Povich Show is ending. The drama here has the emotional swings of an entire season of a daytime soap opera. Penélope Cruz is exquisite in every sense of the word and might be my rooting interest for the Oscars this weekend. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot because it’s twists and turns are one of the aspects of the film I liked best. It’s bookended with a narrative thread where Janis (Cruz) is attempting to have a mass grave excavated where her great-grandfather was believed to be buried at the hands of a fascist regime. While there are parallels 😜 drawn between the main story and these bookends, they still feel very disconnected and merely tacked on. Still a really enjoyable watch.