All About My Mother (Almodovar 1999)

[VoR]

This thread has inspired me to pick up a box set of Volver/Talk To Her/All About My Mother/Bad Education.



I've seen all but Talk To Her before, but I don't remember much about them so I'm due a re-watch. I've also seen Women On The Verge which is obviously UTTERLY FABULOUS in every way.

 

[Peekaboo]

None of those films match, in my opinion, 80s Almodóvar comedies. Latter Almodóvar may be more mature, and good in its own way (I particularly like Bad Education's relentless BLEAKNESS) but there's a touch of the theatrical with some occasional comedy in it as opposed to the laugh out loud comedies with drops of melodrama sprinkled in them a la Women on the Verge. I guess it's a matter of taste but I would recommend chasing the 80s stuff if you enjoyed Women on the Verge.

 

[cwej]

I love Talk To Her VOR, it's really underrated!

 

[Sheena]

UH OH

VoR is now going to move into taking over my MOVIE LIKES as well. THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED

(That box set really is the CREME DE LA CREME...Volver and All About My Mother in particular)

 

[VoR]

I watched All About My Mother last night (I have seen it before, and I remembered more of it than I thought I did).

Such a good film. I love how it was clearly written just to give all these fabulous Latina actresses the roles of a lifetime. I can only assume Cecilia Roth won every Spanish acting award going, she was magnificent. Agrado almost steals it though, I was surprised to learn after watching that she was actually played by a biological female. That's either a great makeup job or the role she was born to play.

 

[Peekaboo]

Antonia San Juan is a transgender actor. She's denied it since All About My Mother because she wanted to break away from stereotypical casting but there are pictures of her as a man before she was famous when she lived in the Canary Islands and she was widely known in Madrid as transgender before she made it big.

 

[VoR]

Thought this might be worth a thread considering it's so well regarded.

 

[Eileen]

Antonia San Juan is a transgender actor. She's denied it since All About My Mother because she wanted to break away from stereotypical casting but there are pictures of her as a man before she was famous when she lived in the Canary Islands and she was widely known in Madrid as transgender before she made it big.

I can't remember her character. I'm currently rewatching a spreadsheet containing a list of what is potentially my favourite films of all time so I can order them properly. This is on it so I'll reconsider it then.

 

[VoR]

I can't remember her character.

She plays the transgendered prostitute who befriends the lead woman (Manuela) early in the film and ends up working as the PA for the older actress (Huma).

 

[Sheena]

"All About My Mother" breaks my heart every time I watch it. It's flawless from start to finish- every line, every shot, every actress and actor.

I can never decide whether it's this or "Volver" I like best of his work, but both are amongst my all time favourite films.

The stage production was rather as well

 

[Eileen]

She plays the transsexual prostitute who befriends the lead woman (Manuela) early in the film and ends up working as the PA for the older actress (Huma).

Thank you but I shall not watch as I want to go back into the film with fresh eyes. There are four of his films currently on the SPREADSHEET and I've seen one of them. Got another 50 odd to go until I've watched them all.

 

[lolly]

Quite probably my favourite film of all time.

Well, either Women On The Verge..., this, or Mary Poppins.

 

[Sheena]

"Women On The Verge..." is third for me, but only by a tiny, tiny margin. Then possibly "Broken Embraces" next. I could go on for hours...

 

[Beverley]

Such a perfect movie. Its so monumental in my mind, like a gay/female EPIC. When I watched it in my teens, it was really quite transforming seeing femaleand transgender characters being represented in these ways. As a piece of art, it really influenced and shaped me/my identity/my interests. It was a 'lightbulb' moment, i.e., WOW. This is what I want to experience more of in art and culture.

 

[Sheena]

Rewatched this again tonight for the millionth time, but the first in a couple of years. I remain astonished at how phenomenal the acting is across the board- which can’t be said of all of his films.
Roth is absolutely incredible in the lead role, but I always forget how good Penélope Cruz is in this as well, in what could have been an easily forgettable role.

Still ploughing through watching all Almodovar’s films in order, which has been an “every now and then”, very slow year long task, in order to rank them all. Not that it’s been a task, you understand, more a
Joy.

 

[VoR]

I would definitely put Cecilia Roth’s performance in this in my all-time top ten screen performances.

 

[Sheena]

That howl of despair gets me every time.

 

[VoR]

This scene is truly one of the all-time cinematic greats.