Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
"The central plot of "Parallel Mothers" is vintage Almodóvar: a skein of reversals, revelations, surprises and coincidences unraveled with style, wit and feeling."
New York Times
"Generations pass, this wise movie tells us; family endures."
Seattle Times
"This wonderful, often sunny drama also evokes pain, betrayal, inconsolable loss followed by rebirth and -- far from what you might expect at this point in Mr. Almodóvar's dazzling career -- haunting echoes of his nation's anguished past."
Wall Street Journal
Academy Award nominee
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role- Penélope Cruz; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
Golden Globe nominee
Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language; Best Original Score - Motion Picture
BAFTA
Best Film Not in the English Language