Member review

Pedro Almodovar’s ‘All About My Mother’ stars Cecilia Roth as Manuela, a woman stricken with grief who ventures to Barcelona in search of an old acquaintance.

Even now, less than a week after watching the film, I am struggling to remember it. Very little stuck out to me across its runtime that certainly felt longer than it was. I would not say that I ever got bored but I certainly was not enjoying myself.

The film’s narrative is nearly non-existent in the traditional sense. There is no ‘plot’ per-se. Rather, the film is a series of events connected by a thematic through line. What this is exactly, I am not entirely sure. The film delivers some admirable messages on femininity but I did not feel as if I was left with any sort of defining message to take away. Overall, the film lacked direction and I felt like the film could have ended at several points. If Manuela had some sort of goal to work towards, the film could have kept my attention better. Instead, the film just keeps going. Past the ‘first act’, it feels like someone just forgot to press pause on the camera as we watch this woman’s life unfold. It may not be a mundane life but still reflects the feel of one. This is illustrated through a volley of time skips. One minutes something is happening and then next, it is six weeks later. This way, the film loses a lot of impact. Important relationship building is glossed over and the massive time skips feel weirdly unjustified. This plays into the film’s weirdly random nature. Perhaps in an attempt to reflect real life, Almodovar has constructed this film to be extremely predicable in parts whilst wholly random in others. Some events occur unexpectedly whilst others can be seen coming from a continent away.

All that said, the film is by no means terrible. It is certainly unconventional to its own detriment but has a certain quirky charm. I would not call the film funny but humorous is not too much of a stretch. Several of the characters were likeable enough with Antonia San Juan’s Agrado being a standout. Cecilia Roth also does a remarkable job, even playing well alongside Penelope Cruz’s drab Rosa.

With very standard cinematography (aside from some standout expressionist shots), the film is very ‘slice-of-life-esque’. I imagine for some that would be admirable but for me, sadly not. I wouldn’t be surprised to never think of this film again. It was fairly unremarkable but not exactly offensive.