After earning some of the most acclaim in his career for the semi-autobiographical tale Pain & Glory, Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar adapted to the pandemic times and quickly shot his Tilda Swinton-led English-language debut The Human Voice. Following up that short, he’s now wrapped production on his next feature, Madres Paralelas (aka Parallel Mothers).
Reuniting the director with his longtime collaborators Penélope Cruz, Julieta Serrano, and Rossy de Palma, the film also stars Israel Elejalde, Milena Smit, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. The story, which the director reveals will be an “intense drama,” follows women who give birth on the same day and have parallel trajectories in life. Written specifically with Cruz in mind, the story is set in Madrid and will explore “the feminine world of new mothers, of mothers who are raising children in the first and second year,” Cruz said.
With the film picked up for a U.S. release by Sony Pictures Classics, continuing their long relationship with the director, the first images and a behind-the-scenes video have arrived as filming wraps, courtesy of El Deseo. “With Madres paralelas, I return to the female universe, to motherhood, to the family,” Almodóvar said. “I speak of the importance of ancestors and descendants. The inevitable presence of memory. There are many mothers in my filmography, the ones that are part of this story are very different.”
See the behind-the-scenes video below, along with more images, and check out the director’s favorite films of 2020 here.
