Focus Expat Cinema: every Wednesday at 19:00 foreign language films with English subtitles.

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Dolor y Gloria, Volver, Julieta) returns with Madres Paralelas, another fascinating take on mothers and motherhood. Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit are the leads in this film that centers around two parallel mothers.

Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) both give birth in the same hospital. There are more similarities: both women are single and didn’t plan their pregnancy. Janis is happy with the arrival of her baby, but the much younger Ana is afraid and unsure. Without much words, Janis en Ana form a bond that will push their lives in unexpected directions. Janis is trying to put the history of her family in perspective, whilst Ana is fighting to break free from family bonds.

Madres Paralelas features actors as Rossy de Palma, Pénelope Cruz and Julieta Serrano: favorites of Almodóvar. The films was the opening film during the Venice Filmfestival and Penélope Cruz was awarded as Best Actress.