Todo sobre mi madre (1999)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar (writer)

Release Date:

16 April 1999 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Part of every woman is a mother/actress/saint/sinner. And part of every man is a woman. (English trailer)

Plot:

Young Esteban want to become a writer and also to discover the identity of his father, carefully concealed by the mother Manuela.

Plot Keywords:

Transvestite | Actor | Autograph | Personal Assistant | Friend

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 47 wins & 31 nominations

Cast

Cecilia Roth	...	Manuela
Marisa Paredes	...	Huma Rojo
Candela Peña	...	Nina
Antonia San Juan	...	Agrado
Penélope Cruz	...	Hermana Rosa
Rosa Maria Sardà	...	Madre de Rosa (as Rosa María Sardá)
Fernando Fernán Gómez	...	Padre de Rosa
Toni Cantó	...	Lola
Eloy Azorín	...	Esteban
Carlos Lozano	...	Mario
Fernando Guillén	...	Doctor en 'Un tranvía llamado Deseo'
Manuel Morón	...	Doctor 1
José Luis Torrijo	...	Doctor 2
Juan José Otegui	...	Ginecólogo
Carmen Balagué

Also Known As:

All About My Mother (Europe: English title) (UK) (USA)
Tout sur ma mère (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality including strong sexual dialogue, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Spain | France

Language:

Spanish | Catalan | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Italy:T | Spain:18 | Canada:14+ (Ontario - 2006) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

A Coruña, Galicia, Spain

Company:

El Deseo S.A.

Trivia:

Manuela Coleman is a character from Pedro Almodóvar's earlier film, La flor de mi secreto (1995).

Quotes:

Huma Rojo: But can you act?
Manuela: I can lie very well, and I'm used to improvising.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gossip Girl: All About My Brother (#1.16)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tajabone

At last, an Almodovar Masterpiece!

At last, an Almodovar Masterpiece! Now we have the final proof and can say without any doubt: Spain has a new true genius. From MUJERES AL BORDE DE UN ATAQUE DE NERVIOS, Almodovar had shown that in his mind rounded an ace, and now several years after and with an irregular filmography, brings us his perfect masterpiece: TODO SOBRE MI MADRE, a homage to all women beginning with Bette Davis, Gena Rowlands, Romy Schneider… and ending with his own mother.

Here we see not just a delicious plot, perfectly narrated, but a camera that fixes everything as if it was the last time, our last chance to watch the indescribable feminine nature in a whole panorama where tenderness and courage rule life.

A puzzle of transitions, a delicate picture of characters and, as ever, a set design that remarks each scene with a touch of simplicity and sophistication. Cecilia Roth is great, superb, unforgettable… but she's not alone: Penelope Cruz, beautiful, vulnerable as a `rose'; Marisa Paredes, an actress in her perfect role, without forget to Antonia San Juan, `La Agrado' and Mr. Fernando Fernan Gomez.

Please, don't wait until someone tells you more about a film that puts melodrama, drama, comedy and… how not: tragedy, in a eternal stream of harmony. It's a pity: cinema is more pretty than life.