Pedro Almodóvar has this uncanny ability to turn mundane into something extraordinary and also to make it appealing in a very ordinary, straightforward way. Parallel Mothers is another example of that mastery in action, as it brings about a story of two mothers with two babies, having their lives intertwined together after spending time in the delivery ward. At the same time, in the past and the brutal Spanish Civil war, lives cut short by falangist death squads also lie intertwined as well, but as skeletons in mass graves.
Through a tale of the present and the past, Almodóvar makes a very heartfelt movie that is very modest and self-contained in its delivery. But, through the characters, especially the two main female leads, that modest tale becomes very impactful not just when it comes to being a mother, but also when it comes to being a decent human being. We expected nothing short of that from the great and magnificent Almodóvar!
