Todo Sombre Mi Madre. (1999). Cert 15. Director - Pedro Almodovar Writer - Pedro Almodovar Starring - Cecilia Roth, Marisa Parades & Penelope Cruz.

Premise - The film tells the story of Manuela, the mother of a 17-year-old son. When her son dies after trying to get the autograph of an actress (I don't really class this as a spoiler as it happens in the first ten minutes) Manuela travels to Barcelona to try and track down the boys father, a transvestite prostitute. To go any further into the plot would be going into major spoiler territory. All About My Mother, to give the film its English language title is a glorious drama from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. A film for which he won the Best Foreign Film at that years Oscar ceremony. This was a real find for me, I have never seen an Almodovar film before, but I remember his acceptance speech at the Oscars a couple of years back and decided to give the flick a go. I am glad I did, otherwise I would have missed one of the most moving films I have ever seen. Unlike some Hollywood films that purport to be moving and end up manipulating the viewer, I never once felt cheated into having an emotional reaction to what was happening on screen. This is testament to Almodovars subtle, but brilliant direction, the excellent script and the quality of the acting. Cecilia Roth who plays Maneula was amazing, her performance was heartbreaking. I must also take back all I have said about Penelope Cruz in the past, when she is speaking in her native tongue she is as enticing as anybody I have seen on film. I highly recommend this film, don't be put off by the subtitles, this is a film not to be missed!

7/10 for Todo Sombre Mi Madre. Poster Quote - All about a good film.