Parallel Mothers (Baby Friendly) 15

From acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar comes Parallel Mothers, starring Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit as two women who form a strong bond as they confront motherhood. Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Smit), meet in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis is middle-aged, and has no regrets about impending parenthood. Ana, is an adolescent, and she is scared, repentant and traumatized. The two women walk the hospital corridors, sharing their experience and creating a close bond, which develops and complicates, ultimately changing their lives in a decisive way. Told in Almodóvar’s distinctive style, Cruz gives a particularly powerful performance, winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at 2021’s Venice Film Festival