Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother)

Pedro Almodóvar's Todo sobre mi madre was the first Spanish-language film that I watched in pursuit of my literacy goal. On the whole, Almodóvar tends to focus on issues of women, gender and social roles and in Spanish culture. Telling the tragic story of a mother who loses her son, a nun who is pregnant with the baby of a transvestite and an aging actress' life in crisis, Todo sobre mi madre follows this trend.
When Manuela's son dies after being hit by a car, she returns to Barcelona to face her past and find his father. The movie illustrates her struggle with the recent tragedy, her strong character and determination and the general trials and triumphs of women against the odds. In the end, Manuel takes custody Lola's (her baby's father) second son, born to a nun who died in labor and facing her problems rather than running from them as she did 20 years earlier.