A middle-aged woman (Emma Suárez) in Madrid is hoping to reconnect with her daughter AntĂa whom she hasn’t heard from in many years, finding a place where she knows AntĂa might reach out. Even a lesser AlmodĂłvar is worth catching because of his technical skill and literary screenwriting talents. This film fuses three short stories by Alice Munro into a full portrait of a woman that also contains a mystery; flashbacks reveal how Julieta met the love of her life and how she raised AntĂa. There isn’t all that much to ponder here, but still engrossing, with a haunting train sequence.Â
2016-Spain. 99 min. Color. Written and directed by Pedro AlmodĂłvar. Short Stories: Alice Munro. Music: Alberto Iglesias. Cast: Emma Suárez (Julieta Arcos), Adriana Ugarte (Younger Julieta), Daniel Grao (Xoan), Inma Cuesta, Michelle Jenner, DarĂo Grandinetti.
Trivia: Munro’s stories are published in the book ”Runaway”. The director originally considered making the film his English-language debut, with Meryl Streep in the lead.