Spanish director Pedro Almodovar doesn’t seem, at first glance, to be the sort of filmmaker who would succeed in painting a warm and honest picture of motherhood. Almodovar has always made interesting, distinctive films, but he’s best known for his ability to combine everyday characters with eccentrics and put both into outrageous and often humorous situations. He isn’t nearly as well known for touching audiences emotionally. It’s far more common to take in Almodovar’s outrageous situations from an emotional distance, such as those in his funny and entertaining 1990 film, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! With All About My Mother, the Spanish director completely blows away any sense of emotional isolation with a film that includes his usual outrageous characters and unusual situations, but also makes a powerful emotional connection.
The film revolves around Manuela (Cecilia Roth), who is a Madrid nurse who deals with organ transplants and is also the single mother of the teen-aged Esteban (Eloy Azorin). Manuela faces a series of remarkable challenges and tragedies, finds herself starting life afresh, and reminiscing about how she had to do the same thing some 18 years earlier. Manuela is a levelheaded, strong woman who is surrounded by colourful characters, including a pregnant nun, a transvestite prostitute, and an actress with a big ego. She has made more than her share of mistakes over the years, but through it all, she has been there for the people she loves.
What does all this have to do with Pedro Almodovar’s mother? The answer is: very little, and everything at the same time. If you’re expecting a straightforward retrospective picture of the filmmaker’s family, then you’re in for a surprise. The son in this film is obviously not Almodovar, at least not in a literal sense. Things happen to him that we know could never have happened to the filmmaker. In addition, the film is set in present day, and Manuela is in her 40s – younger than Almodovar.
But once all this window-dressing is put aside, we can see that Manuela is the filmmaker’s mother in every other sense. Although far from perfect, this woman exhibits all the best characteristics of a mother – she’s loyal and nurturing, selfless and adaptive. She survives the loss of more than one person she loves, and still comes back for more.
This is an unusual, but highly effective homage to mothers. In his role as screenwriter and director, Almodovar has struck a wonderful balance between the outrageous images and events in Manuela’s life, and her unflagging motherly caring. The strong storyline is matched by excellent performances by Roth, Penelope Cruz as her friend Hermana Rosa, and Antonia San Juan, who is wonderfully over-the-top as Manuela’s transvestite friend La Agrado.
While it’s not your run-of-the-mill homage to mom, All About My Mother is a wonderful gift from Pedro Almodovar to his mother and everyone who appreciates mothers.
