"Parallel Mothers" to open Venice
Monday, July 19, 2021 at 11:21AM by Nathaniel R
Reporting Pedro Almodóvar news twice over. First, his 22nd feature Parallel Mothers will open the 77th Venice Film Festival on September 1st, followed by a September rollout in Europe. Sony Pictures Classics will distribute the film in the US though they haven't announced a specific date yet. Almodóvar has been an arthouse sensation in the international marketplace since the late 80s. Though he feels like an Oscar perennial the truth is that though he's often in 'the conversation', as it were, Oscar has been a bit stingy; Collectively his films have earned 7 Oscar nominations and 2 wins (Best Foreign-Language Film for All About My Mother and Best Screenplay for Talk To Her) but are often snubbed despite outclassing their competitors. Remember Volver not placing in Foreign-Language Film and The Human Voice not landing in the short film category just last season when in both cases they both ought to have won those particular categories given the finalists?
The second bit of news is that we'll be launching a Thursday series here at TFE in which we'll (re)watch his whole filmography... which we've been meaning to do for awhile. His official debut Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980) is surprisingly available on HBOMax at the moment!
Reader Comments (14)
Strong Volver vibes. Can't wait. Also very inspired cast.
I hated The Human Voice. And I am the biggest Almodóvar fan you'll ever know.
It seems like he directed as a viral for Balenciaga, ir Nespresso. Only style, no pain.
And no matter how great Tilda is, she is NOT Anna Magnani.
Hoping the best for Cruz and de Palma to score acting noms. It may sound crazy, but I think Rossy de Palma should have been at least nominated THREE times for Oscar (all in Supporting, and all in Almodovar movies: Kika, The Flower of my Secret and Julieta... an amazing acting range, by the way). Cruz? She should have TWO wins by now. The one she has, and also for La Niña de tus Ojos (1998), in a performance absolutel hilarious and dramatic at the same time.
I can't wait for this trip through Almodovar's filmography!
Very excited about the series. I've seen most of his stuff, other than one or two of the early 90s films and maybe his first film. This will be a fun chance to revist.
Penelope and Pedro work so well together, and he truly understands her gifts.
I'm going to enjoy this Thursday series. I know some of Almodóvar's films quite well, others not at all. He's been a noteworthy filmmaker for over 40 years!
You have to be very shallow to enjoy The Human Voice.
Too bad 1978's "Fuck... Fuck... Fuck Me Tim!" doesn't count (why not? It's 90 minutes), just so TFE's squeamish readers would have to squirm every time you used the title.
You're not making any sense Jesús
Bring me ALMDOVAR!!!!
YES!! I’m all in for this series. My all time favorite director, even his misfires are interesting and beautiful.
Dan -- i dont know why "Fuck Me Tim" doesn't count and if it doesnt why IMDb lists it. But it apparently doesn't. I've never talked to anyone who has seen it. From my understanding it was never released? I've looked for a bootleg but never been able to find. No retrospective series of Almdoovar here in the US has ever included it. Articles about Almodovar from all sorts of publlications always list Pepi, Luci Bom as his first.
not sure why!
Though it seems that "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck me Tim"(1978) is lost, Almodóvar also directed a series of 10 shorts between 1974 and 1978. While most of them are also unavailable, "Salomé" (1978) can be found in Youtube: https://youtu.be/1FJW6BbcjFQ
Additionally, he would later direct a pasta commercial with Rossy de Palma and Chus Lampreabe, "Pastas Ardilla" (1996) (https://youtu.be/IfwMQHeLdPE), as well as "La Concejala Antropófaga" (2009) (https://dai.ly/x8ow8k), a spin-off of "Broken Embraces", consisting in a scene of the in-movie film "Chicas y Maletas", with Carmen Machi.
I do not think that any of the above short films are available with English subs, but they are nonetheless interesting curiosities.
@Nathaniel Almodovar's lost film. Someone graduate student needs to write their dissertation on this, stat.