Parallel Mothers 2021

Penélope Cruz shines as Janis Martinez, a Madrid-based photographer whose professional lens captures the intricacies of forensic archeologist Arturo (Israel Elejalde). Following their shoot, Janis invites Arturo to collaborate on a deeply personal project - unearthing the truth about her great-grandfather and fellow villagers who met a tragic fate during the Spanish Civil War. Buried in an unmarked mass grave, the victims’ stories have been relegated to whispers, with Janis’s family having vainly petitioned the government for excavation permits. Arturo, however, holds the key through his foundation dedicated to preserving historical justice. As Janis and Arturo grow closer, their connection transcends the camera’s frame, culminating in a romantic night.

Months later, Janis finds herself in a hospital room, awaiting the arrival of her unborn child alongside a young mother, Ana (Milena Smit). The coincidence is striking, as both women navigate the challenges of single motherhood. Within these sterile walls, Janis encounters Teresa (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), Ana’s mother - an actress torn between her desire for stardom and her distant relationship with her daughter. In stark contrast, Elena (Rossy de Palma), Janis’s best friend and magazine editor, arrives at the hospital, radiating enthusiasm and support.

As Janis and Ana bond over their shared experiences, their stories unfold like tender petals. Janis, named after the iconic musician Janis Joplin by her free-spirited mother, was raised by her grandmother following her early passing. Similarly, Ana has been neglected throughout her life due to her mother’s all-consuming passion for acting. As both women give birth simultaneously, their newborns are whisked away for assessment, leaving the mothers to face the uncertainty of their uncertain futures.

As Janis returns home with her newborn, Cecilia, she effortlessly slips into the role of devoted mother, pouring all her attention and energy into caring for her tiny human. Her vigilance knows no bounds as she hires a teenage babysitter, only to nitpick every detail, from the baby’s sleep position to the sitter’s homework habits. Meanwhile, Janis keeps in touch with Ana, another single mom, and they commiserate about the challenges of raising children on their own. Ana shares her own story, revealing that she’s been forced to choose between her career and motherhood when her mother abandons her for a role as Rosita the spinster. As Ana struggles to balance her responsibilities, Janis finds herself taking to single parenthood with ease.

When Arturo arrives to visit Cecilia, he’s taken aback by the baby’s dark complexion, which is unlike his own and Janis’. He firmly asserts that he’s not the father, sparking a heated debate from Janis, who insists that he’s the only one capable of paternity. It’s not until she begins to piece together the timeline with Ana, another mother who gave birth around the same time, that Janis starts to suspect the truth. Rather than pursue a definitive answer through a paternity test, Janis opts for a maternity test, submitting DNA swabs from both herself and Cecilia.

The results shatter her world: with 99.9% certainty, it’s clear that she’s not Cecilia’s mother. The news sends Janis reeling as she tries to reach out to Arturo and Ana, but they’re unavailable. After grappling with the revelation, Janis makes a difficult decision: rather than upend her life and risk disrupting the bond she’s formed with Cecilia, she chooses to keep the truth hidden, opting instead to continue playing the role of mother to this child who is not hers.

As Janis strolled into the cozy cafe near her residence, she was greeted by Ana, a familiar face from a distant past. The serendipitous encounter led to an impromptu invitation for Ana to visit Janis at her apartment, where the narrative of Ana’s life took a poignant turn. With tears streaming down her face, Ana revealed the tragic loss of her infant daughter Anita, whose crib death was a heartbreaking reminder that sometimes even the most preventable tragedies occur. As Ana shared a photo of her child, Janis was struck by an uncanny resemblance between the deceased baby and herself, with their shared light features serving as a haunting echo.

In a bold move, Janis offered Ana a job as a live-in maid, replacing the previous incompetent teenage helper. The new arrangement allowed Ana to care for Janis’s own daughter, Cecilia, while also providing her with a sense of purpose. As part of her duties, Janis discreetly obtained mouth swabs from both Ana and Cecilia, which she later submitted for DNA testing. When the results confirmed that Ana was indeed Cecilia’s mother with 100% accuracy, Janis’s world began to unravel.

A visit from Arturo, Cecilia’s father, sent Janis flashing back to a tumultuous period in her life when she had considered terminating her pregnancy under pressure from Arturo’s insistence. His marriage was suffering due to his wife’s chemotherapy treatments, and he felt the need to remain loyal to his partner. However, Janis refused to abandon her child, choosing instead to carry the baby to term.

In the present, Ana proved to be a valuable addition to Janis’s life, their bond growing stronger with each passing day. As Ana shared her harrowing story of being raped by three young men, Janis listened with empathy and outrage. The revelation that Ana had been blackmailed into having sex with two of the perpetrators, with her father urging her to remain silent to protect the family’s reputation, filled Janis with a sense of injustice.

As Ana showed Janis a photograph of the group of boys involved in the heinous act, Janis’s eyes scanned the faces until one familiar teenager caught her attention - a boy whose features bore an uncanny resemblance to Cecilia.

As Ana and Janis’s bond deepens, their physical intimacy takes on a casual tone for Janis, who remains emotionally detached. Unbeknownst to Ana, this temporary arrangement is actually a ruse for Janis to rekindle her long-dormant relationship with Arturo, whose foundation has finally granted permission to excavate the potential gravesite in Janis’s childhood village. The coincidence of this development is further underscored by Arturo’s revelation that his wife, now cancer-free, is seeking a divorce, freeing him from any guilt related to abandoning her during her time of need. As the two friends celebrate their good fortune with a dinner outing, Ana becomes increasingly possessive and territorial, sensing that Janis is slipping away from her.

Meanwhile, Teresa reappears in Ana’s life, apologizing for being an absentee mother as she pursued an acting career. This unexpected turn of events coincides with Janis’s own journey back to her childhood village, where she collects stories about the men who never returned from the Spanish Civil War and the women and children who were left behind to hide. The villagers share tales of identifiable objects that would be used to identify the bodies if they are recovered, such as the engraved ring worn by a woman’s grandfather.

As tensions rise in Ana and Janis’s relationship, Janis is forced to confront her secrets and lies. In a tearful admission, she reveals that she has been hiding crucial information from Ana. With a mix of trepidation and vulnerability, Janis shares two pregnancy tests on her computer screen: one indicating she is not Cecilia’s biological mother, the other confirming Ana as the child’s true parent. Ana’s anger and betrayal are palpable as she takes Cecilia away from their shared life, leaving Janis heartbroken and reeling.

The news also reaches Arturo, who must come to terms with the fact that Cecilia is not his daughter. He finds solace in comforting a devastated Janis, who has lost her biological child and now faces an uncertain future. The next morning, Ana makes contact, proposing that Janis be welcomed into Cecilia’s life in a way that mirrors their earlier dynamic. This olive branch marks the beginning of a new chapter for all involved, as they navigate the complexities of identity, family, and belonging.

As the seasons unfold, Janis finds herself back in her childhood village, surrounded by surviving relatives who have gathered amidst the excavation efforts of the suspected mass grave site. The painstaking process yields a poignant confirmation: the excavated skeletons bear witness to the tragic events of the past. Amidst the remnants of mortality, the cherished objects that had been passed down through generations are finally reunited with their corresponding loved ones, allowing families to lay their ghosts to rest - a long-overdue closure, 80 years in the making.

Meanwhile, Ana’s arrival at the site is met with warm enthusiasm by Janis, who is overjoyed to be reunited with her dear friend Cecilia. As they stand together at the precipice of this emotional excavation, another significant development comes to light: Janis is once again expecting, this time with Arturo’s child - a beacon of hope and a chance for her to fulfill her maternal aspirations, which were cruelly cut short by the loss of her firstborn.