X
- 1999
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
- 1999
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
Summary This is the story of a mother (Roth) recovering from the death of her teenage son. She travels to Barcelona to find her son's father and revisits many places of her youth.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
Written By: Pedro Almodóvar
- 1999
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
- 1999
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 41 m
All About My Mother
8.3
Where to Watch
Summary This is the story of a mother (Roth) recovering from the death of her teenage son. She travels to Barcelona to find her son's father and revisits many places of her youth.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
Written By: Pedro Almodóvar
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
87
100% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
87
100% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Almodóvar's masterwork, is a spectacular synthesis of everything that has always interested him -- proud women, lovely boys, beautiful drag queens, grand movie stars, gorgeous frocks, wild wallpaper .
Just about everyone worth knowing in All About My Mother is female in spirit, which is to say they're all sexy, impossible, powerfully durable souls, quarrelsome and loyal, inventive at navigating the tragedies.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 110 User Ratings
8.3
91% Positive
100 Ratings
100 Ratings
8% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 110 User Ratings
8.3
91% Positive
100 Ratings
100 Ratings
8% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
1% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
It weaves life and art into a rich tapestry of love, loss and compassion.
A tender genuflection to the women's energies that keep that spinning world from keeling over.
As dark as a Greek tragedy yet it has a vibrance and joie de vivre that can't be contained by grief.
Emerges as a thoughtful reflection on the many roles women must play throughout their lives.
The work of a talented filmmaker coasting on his own fumes.
Last month, I went through the Pedro Almodovar Collection, which has films from Matador in 1986 to Bad Education from 2004. Although all of them were from very good to outstanding, this was one of my favourites, and for good reason, as it is obvious that Almodovar was on quite the roll. Not only is he excellent behind the camera and just bursting with creative aplomb, he is a very fine writer, not to mention the best director of women that I have ever seen.
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All the sensibility of Almodovar in this film full of humanity and drama. The story of a mother who, after the tragic death of her son, decides to return to Barcelona in search of his father. In her research she will meet several people and find that things have changed somewhat from how she remembered them. This movie is beautifully shot, the use of music is great here and acting too. This is a must-see for everyone.
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Relying on its melodramatic strength, affectingly poignant score and sumptuous colour palette, the movie goes full force right off the bat towards its core concept driving the story forward, relentlessly pulling at heartstrings and leaving us completely choked up. Then, it seems to abandon what it set up, and begins to liberate itself only to unveil, little by little, its rich and intricate tapestry of femininity and maternity. Through a growing web of female characters, All About My Mother celebrates female solidarity as we see each one shows right in time to rescue the other from the brink of collapse by creating emotional bonds between one another to fill in each other's gaps and get each others to complement their missing halves. Stupendous performances from all around, but I was struck, in particular, by Cecilia Roth's bravura performance as the lead character Manuela. The emotional range she shows is impressive and the entire movie she seems as if her eyes locked in tears, ready to fall anytime her son is brought up in any conversation. These scenes show how inextricably linked her complex feelings of haunting grief are, as she mourns Esteban's death and her being bereft of maternity at the same time. All About My Mother is also a panorama of vivid colours and moments of 'joie de vivre' that keep the film light on its feet while bolstering its tribute to actresses as well as its female spirit. Crazy how All About My Mother winds up giving perfect closure to the relationships between the characters and the themes it explores after getting carried away a bit too far now and then.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Goya Awards
• 7 Wins & 14 Nominations
