Pedro Almodóvar
motherhood, sisterhood, and friendship. This tribute to women, actresses, and mothers is one of Almodóvar’s most sophisticated films with glowing visuals, fully realized performances, and poetic di alogue’. 7 The concept of motherhood is by no means limited to this film. In 2006’s drama Volver ( To Return ), Almodóvar takes another look at motherhood, through a somewhat subversive lens, showing the way in which the role of the ‘mother’ is not exclusive to biological parenthood and is something far more profound and deep than that. As Keya Shirali writes, in regard to Almodóvar’s filmography ‘motherhood takes precedence over all other aspects of reality’ . 8 For this reason, it could be well argued that constant, universal themes, like motherhood, are the real magic of Almodóvar, and these stories that can be understood far beyond the walls of Spanish society are what give Almodóvar’s films such lasting global appeal. To conclude, despite being able to employ beautiful stories of humanity, as good as any other writer, I believe it is Almodóvar’s distinct ability to move with the times, to adapt and react to his own circumstances, that has given his extensive cinematography such appeal, both in and outside of the Spanish society it was created for.
7 Manish Mathur, Pedro Almodovar: Motherhood and Melodrama at https://keithlovesmovies.com/2020/05/10/pedro-almodovar-motherhood-and- melodrama/#:~:text=One%20of%20Almodovar%E2%80%99s%20favorite%20themes%20is%20motherhood %2C%20often,other%20women%20relatives%20from%20his%20village%20in%20Spain. 8 Keya Shirali, Mother, Sister, Daughter — Layers of Womanhood in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver (2006) at https://medium.com/cinesuffragette/mother-sister-daughter-layers-of-womanhood-in-pedro- almod%C3%B3vars-volver-2006- 51c4a3a0a2d8#:~:text=Much%20like%20Almod%C3%B3var%E2%80%99s%20other%20film%20All%20Abo ut%20My,a%20maternal%20figure%20to%20many%20of%20the%20women.
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