All About My Mother (1999) Pedro Almodovar
The families in Almodóvar films are always unique, even if they are “traditional.”
Pedro Almodovar is a singular director. There is no mistaking his films. Even early works are distinct and emotional. His early work is angry and proof of his talent. Shaking off the Franko dictatorship in Spain and responding to decades of oppression Almodovar speaks his truth, no matter how shocking it may be. Later in his filmography, All About My Mother (1999) is more polished and a little less angry, but still powerful in its message. Manuela struggled to put a life together for she and her son when his father left to pursue his own truth. After her son’s death she must start over yet again, finding old friends and making a new family for herself. The families in Almodovar films are always unique, even if they are “traditional.” His visual style is so vibrant and purposeful. I’d live happily in any world he created. The colors alone are worth seeing on the screen.
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