According to feminist critical theory, female characters in traditional male-perspective films are often categorized into four types: earth mother, whore, witch, and victim. These limited archetypes do not accurately reflect real women, but rather represent female images created to fulfill the physical and psychological desires of male viewers. Unfortunately, most female characters in mainstream films, especially those made by male directors, are just variations of these four archetypes. However, not all male creators portray women in a single stereotypical manner in their works. Today, I want to discuss an exception: director Pedro Almodóvar.
In my opinion, Almodóvar is a highly individualistic director. Even if you only watch a few minutes of his films, you can easily identify his distinct style: dynamic and striking colors, innovative camera angles, and, above all, vibrant female characters. From a storytelling perspective, his works center around desire, violence, religion, and other important themes. He employs vivid colors to showcase a postmodern aesthetic and a strong disdain for authority. Although the intricacies of Almodóvar's film style would require an entire book to explore, for the purposes of this movie review, I will limit my discussion solely to the portrayal of mothers in his films.
In Almodóvar's films, mothers are often portrayed as tolerant and warm figures. Despite the harsh realities they confront, they remain vibrant and full of life. In the following paragraphs, I will examine the characteristics and evolution of the mother and female characters in Almodóvar's films, using examples from three movies spanning different periods: All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006), and Parallel Mothers (2021).
Plot Summary
Please note that there may be spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the following three movies. I suggest that you watch them first before continuing to read this article. If you have already watched them, let me briefly remind you of the plot of each movie.
"All About My Mother" tells the story of Manuela, a nurse and single mother who returns to Barcelona to fulfill her deceased son's wish of meeting his biological father, now named Lola following a sex change. Along the way, Manuela reconnects with her old friend Agrado and befriends a pregnant nun named Rosa, who is infected with AIDS. Manuela becomes Rosa's caretaker until her passing, takes on the responsibility of caring for Rosa's son, and ultimately witnesses the miracle of Esteban's recovery from AIDS.
"Volver" is a movie that tells the story of Raimunda, a woman who takes care of her husband's body after her daughter kills him while he was attempting to rape her. The movie follows a series of events that happen after this incident. As the story progresses, the audience learns that Raimunda's daughter is not her husband's biological child, but rather the result of her being raped by her father. After learning the truth, Raimunda's mother, Irene, sets fire to the house, killing her husband. She then pretends to be a ghost and continues to care for her sister until she passes away. With Irene's return, she uncover the truth about the accident from many years ago and repair their mother-daughter relationship in the process.
"Parallel Mothers" follows the story of Janis, a single woman who meets Anna, another new mother, during her pregnancy. Unfortunately, their babies are accidentally switched at birth in the hospital. Despite Janis's efforts to inform Anna of the mistake, it is too late, as Janis's biological daughter has already passed away suddenly. Meanwhile, Janis is also fulfilling her grandmother's final request to excavate the bodies of their great-grandfathers who were massacred and buried years ago, hoping to reveal the truth of history.
Bold use of color
Almodóvar's deconstruction of traditional film norms is reflected in his bold use of color. He frequently employs vibrant colors and large color blocks to create a visually striking effect. Even during darker and more intense scenes, the colors in his films remain vibrant, conveying emotions and information to the audience while contributing to the overall aesthetic style of the production.
As an illustration, Almodóvar uses distinct colors in his three films to convey certain meanings. Red signifies vitality and optimism, black represents subjugation and distortion, and blue frequently hints at death. This is why female characters often wear red in Almodóvar's films.
For instance, in "All About My Mother," Rosa dons a red headscarf when she meets Manuela for the first time. This signifies her maternal love, as she takes care of Manuela and the injured Argado.
Similarly, in "Volver," Raimunda, who is pregnant again, wears a red sweater. Additionally, when Anna's mother decides to take responsibility as a mother and looks for Anna, she wears a red dress.
When women wear black clothing, it often signifies suppressed and painful emotions. In the movie "All About My Mother", for instance, Manuela wears a black coat to conceal the red sweater underneath, while she is grieving the death of her son.
When extensive areas of blue are present, it is a sign of impending doom. In "All About My Mother," the 17-year-old son wore a blue shirt on the night before the car accident, and Rosa had a blue pillow when she was seriously ill.
Through the exploration of color, we can also see that the clothing and background colors of male characters in these three films are often dull, while the colors of female characters' clothing/hair and living environments are bright. This is one of the visual language features of Almodóvar's films that is full of praise and respect for women, especially for mothers, showcasing his personal feminist beliefs.
Motherly love as the main them of the film
One of the recurring themes in Almodóvar's films is the portrayal of motherly love. The characters take care of each other as if it is an unquestionable duty and a quintessential part of being a mother. In films such as All About My Mother, Volver, and Parallel Mothers, we can observe a clear matrilineal group where women take care of each other.
Manuela takes care of her son, Agrado, who is injured after being abused, Rosa, who is infected with AIDS and pregnant, as well as theater star Huma and her lover Nina. In Volver, Raimunda takes care of her daughter and her aunt, while Raimunda's mother, Irene, takes care of her sister and then continues to take care of her neighbor's daughter Agustina after her sister's death.
Similarly, in Parallel Mothers, Janis, a single mother, takes in and takes care of Anna, who has run away from home, and Anna naturally takes care of the main character's child. These films by Almodóvar portray women living together with female friends, sisters, mothers, aunts, and grandmothers in a matrilineal group.
In these three Almodóvar films, motherhood is portrayed in a non-traditional manner. Unlike the commonly held concept of motherhood, the love shown by the women in the films is not directed towards their children, or towards men seeking emotional comfort and acceptance - a motherly image often portrayed in stories created by male creators. Instead, their love is directed towards those who need help in their own world, whether they are relatives or friends. The female characters in the films are always looking after the people around them.
At the same time, these women exhibit a certain type of aggression commonly observed in lactating female animals in the wild. They reject the laws and morals established by men and resort to violence when necessary. For instance, in "Volver," it is the women who collaborate to transport a refrigerator carrying a corpse and drive all night to bury it. It is a woman who sets her husband on fire upon discovering the truth about her daughter's pregnancy. And it is still the women who conceal her husband's body without hesitation when his death results from her daughter's rebellion to his rape.
As a result, these individuals have a capacity for love, but also maintain a sense of self-preservation. They don't dwell on misfortunes or changes, and even as they take on the role of motherhood, they continue to forge their own identities and establish a set of personal beliefs that go beyond the confines of traditional patriarchal values.
The Absent Men
In Almodóvar's three films, there is a notable absence of traditional male images. Male characters are often portrayed as marginalized, weak, twisted, or entirely absent. Their appearance in the films is unimportant or brings disaster to the female characters.
In All About My Mother, the father figure is consistently absent. Lola (the first Esteban) left after his girlfriend Manuela became pregnant. Rosa's father has Alzheimer's and is unable to recognize his own daughter.
In Volver, the relationships between fathers and daughters are dangerous. Raimunda was rape by her own father, and her daughter has a shocking similarity to her own experience of being almost assaulted by her stepfather. In the end, they all had to kill men in order to truly return to the ideal female relationship. Raimunda repeated what her mother had done, killed her husband (although it was actually her daughter who did it, she took all the responsibility upon herself, and her daughter killed her stepfather, as if she had killed her own father), and then reconciled with her mother who had been estranged for many years and returned from the "underworld" to the world of the living. After removing the obstacle of men, their communication was unimpeded.
As Almodóvar’s latest film, Parallel Mothers continues his consistent feminism: not only are men not responsible for life, but they are also not responsible for history. It is often women who shoulder the heavy burden of life and responsibility for ancestors. It is Janis and her female relatives from her hometown who have been making significant efforts to promote the excavation project. In the end of the film, the bones of their great-grandfathers are finally unearthed, and the men who participated in the excavation work are also prominently featured on screen for the first time. The film highlights the history rediscovered by women and their ability to showcase it.
In the film Parally Mothers, men's attitude towards personal life is still irresponsible. Janis grows up in a matrilineal household and does not know who her father is. After becoming pregnant, her lover disappears. Anna is threatened with nude photos by three male classmates and is forced to have sex, which results in her pregnancy. When her father learns about her pregnancy, instead of protecting her, he sends her to her mother. When women are pregnant/giving birth and going through the process of childbirth, the fathers of the children are often not present, and instead, they are accompanied by their mothers and female friends.
It is evident that in these three films, men are consistently depicted in conjunction with women's suffering, whether it be related to pregnancy, difficult childbirth, or infection. To overcome such hardships caused by men, mutual support and redemption amongst women is essential. Through this mutual redemption, they can reverse their tragic fate and give rise to a new beginning for the next generation. Furthermore, men who begin to repent and become better do so by embodying characteristics typically associated with women. For instance, Lola's repentance and Argado's transformation into a woman exemplify this concept.
Naturally, recognizing and celebrating the maternal power of women in Almodovar's films does not suggest that all female characters in his movies are identical or flawless. In fact, it is precisely because of the intricate and multifaceted nature of these characters that Almodovar is able to convey his feminist ideals. The essence of feminism involves acknowledging and appreciating that women are not limited to the four stereotypes mentioned in the beginning of this article, but rather encompass a diverse range of complex individuals. Hopefully, more and more creators will come to realize this and use female characters to explore a more vibrant and diverse film landscape.
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