All About My Mother (1999)

‘All About My Mother’ is a Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar, set in Madrid at first. Here we see a woman called Manuela (Cecilia Roth) and her son Estaban (Eloy Azorin) who is just turning 17. It starts with the tragic events in which Estaban is hit by a car. Manuela then returns to Madrid where she spent her former years, to find Estaban’s farther who she ran away from 18 years earlier, and didn’t know he was a farther. The bright colours and simples sets give a warm feel to the film, which with the added humour thrown in creates a mostly up beat film. The Spanish style used gives it a unique twist we don’t normally see in an English speaking film, making it worth the watch. Almodovar, through the film, explores all aspects of women, looking at different women in society, and the ways they have to survive. He looks at their loss, their pain and how they cope with changes in their lives, going on to even look at the transvestite community. Almodovar manages to look at the sensitive subject that most don’t want to talk about, setting out a stunning film.