Review of All About My Mother (1999) by Ahmedaiman1999 — 14 May 2021

Relying on its melodramatic strength, affectingly poignant score and sumptuous colour palette, the movie goes full force right off the bat towards its core concept driving the story forward, relentlessly pulling at heartstrings and leaving us completely choked up.

Then, it seems to abandon what it set up, and begins to liberate itself only to unveil, little by little, its rich and intricate tapestry of femininity and maternity. Through a growing web of female characters, All About My Mother celebrates female solidarity as we see each one shows right in time to rescue the other from the brink of collapse by creating emotional bonds between one another to fill in each other's gaps and get each others to complement their missing halves.

Stupendous performances from all around, but I was struck, in particular, by Cecilia Roth's bravura performance as the lead character Manuela. The emotional range she shows is impressive and the entire movie she seems as if her eyes locked in tears, ready to fall anytime her son is brought up in any conversation.

These scenes show how inextricably linked her complex feelings of haunting grief are, as she mourns Esteban's death and her being bereft of maternity at the same time. All About My Mother is also a panorama of vivid colours and moments of 'joie de vivre' that keep the film light on its feet while bolstering its tribute to actresses as well as its female spirit.

Crazy how All About My Mother winds up giving perfect closure to the relationships between the characters and the themes it explores after getting carried away a bit too far now and then.