All About My Mother

The story of motherhood and what it is to be a woman is one that has pre-occupied Spain for quite some time. This film, from one of Spain’s greatest directors, is a brilliant portrait of women as mothers, lovers, life-givers and sustainers. Well-written material and a fascinating subject lends this film the emotional depth and weight it has in abundance; sterling acting, great cinematography and witty, intelligent characters give it the humour and pathos it requires making this film compelling viewing.

The film tells the story of Manuela, who struggles to overcome her son Esteban’s death and in doing so, she elevates him to almost iconic status. He wanted to find out the identity of his father, but Manuela had guarded this secret very closely. As the film progresses, we are treated to a wealth of amazing characters; Huma Roja - an actress in a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”, La Agrado - a transsexual prostitute, Padre. H. Rosa - the father of a pregnant unmarried woman, amongst many, many others.

You cannot ignore the ability of this film to deal with the nature of men and women. Men are seen as being extreme characters, women as a race of people constantly struggling to deal with life, and doing so with varying degrees of success. Cecilia Roth’s performance as Manuela is stunning - her cry of “Hijo mío” (“My son”) as Esteban lies dying in her arms is one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Similarly, Penélope Cruz is wonderful as the tragic yet unendingly funny La Agrado.

“Todo Sobre Mi Madre” is many things. It has been hailed as being Almodóvar’s greatest work, a comment I would certainly agree with. It is certainly a great example of Spanish cinema, and an accessible introduction to the work of a very influential and thought-provoking director. It is also the only film I have seen that got a round of applause when I saw it in Spain, and it has won enough awards to fill a skip - it’s also a strong contender for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars next year. Definitely a film that got its audience talking and thinking - come and see for yourself.

Christopher Campbell