All About My Mother

Pedro Almodóvar pays adoring homage to women, mothers and female actors with his Academy Award-winning film, now 25 years young.

On a rainy Autumn night in Barcelona, single mother Manuela takes her teenage son Esteban to see a production of A Streetcar Named Desire starring the famous Huma Rojo. After the show, while chasing after Huma Roja in the rain to get her autograph, Esteban is killed in a tragic accident.

Two months later, alone and now living in Madrid, Manuela’s path crosses once more with the production as the play opens at a nearby theatre.

Curator’s note

With adoring nods to Bette Davis, Gena Rowlands and other female screen icons, All About My Mother assembled a cast of all-stars from director Pedro Almodóvar’s own works in what was his greatest film to date – that title may have changed after 25 more years of exemplary filmmaking.

Leading the cast is Cecilia Roth – a stalwart of Almodóvar’s films – who is joined by Marisa Paredes (The Flower of My Secret) and Penélope Cruz (Live Flesh).

All About My Mother was a critical and commercial hit upon its release and received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)