Movie · 1999 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 41m · R · Spanish
Curator score: 9.3/10 (369.7K ratings)
Part of every woman is a mother/actress/saint/sinner. And part of every man is a woman.
Overview
Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.
Ratings
Curator score: 9.3/10
IMDb: 7.8/10
Letterboxd: 4.19/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Metacritic: 87
TMDB: 7.6/10
Director
Pedro Almodóvar
Production
El Deseo, Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma
Cast
Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa María Sardà, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Fernando Guillén, Toni Cantó, Carlos Lozano, Eloy Azorín, Manuel Morón, José Luis Torrijo, Juan José Otegui, Carmen Balagué, Malena Gutiérrez, Yael Barnatán, Carme Fortuny, Patxi Freytez, Juan Marquez
Curator Review
Verdict
A richly emotional melodrama about grief, chosen family, and the women who hold each other together. It’s funny, tender, and deeply compassionate, with vivid performances and Almodóvar’s signature color-saturated style.
Best for
Viewers who like emotionally generous melodramas
Fans of queer and trans-inclusive storytelling
People drawn to ensemble character studies
Anyone who enjoys stylized, color-forward filmmaking
Viewers seeking a moving film about grief and care
Skip if
You want a restrained, naturalistic drama
You dislike heightened melodrama and coincidence-driven plotting
You prefer male-centered stories or action-heavy narratives
You’re looking for a bleak or minimalist tone
Overview
Pedro Almodóvar turns grief into a story of connection, reinvention, and survival. What begins as a mother’s search after a devastating loss expands into a luminous ensemble about women caring for one another across class, age, sexuality, and circumstance. The film is emotionally expansive without losing its intimacy, and it moves with the confidence of a director who trusts feeling as much as plot.
Worth noting
The performances are a major part of the film’s power, especially Cecilia Roth’s deeply humane Manuela and the vivid supporting characters around her. Almodóvar’s eye for color, costume, and theatrical framing gives the movie a heightened beauty, but the emotion is never decorative. Beneath the wit and melodrama is a sincere meditation on motherhood, performance, identity, and the ways people become family.
Bottom line
It’s one of those films that feels both deeply specific and broadly generous. The story is full of pain, but it never collapses into despair; instead, it finds dignity in care, solidarity, and survival. If you respond to cinema that is emotionally direct, queer in spirit, and alive with personality, this is essential viewing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
maria (4★) · 5320 likes
love me some strong women being there for each other, penélope cruz and fucking gorgeous colors
Zā (Vanity Rex) (4.5★) · 4702 likes
Fuck. She did that. And she did that. Then she did that. But also, she did that. They all did that. I love everything.
Hari Nef · 4282 likes
[hits blunt] women who do not tell the truth are cinema itself
mary (5★) · 3551 likes
AND THEY'RE ALL MOTHERS
Sara Clements (4.5★) · 3492 likes
Pedro Almodóvar truly created one of cinema’s most beautiful and moving odes to women