The Closing Film for the 2021 New York Film Festival Will Be Announced Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’

It was announced earlier today that the closing film for the 2021 New York Film Festival is Pedro Almodóvar‘s Parallel Mothers.

Recently, we reported to you that Parallel Mothers would be the opening film at the Venice International Film Festival, so this is another major spotlight for Almodóvar’s latest feature.

To give a quick rundown of his latest film, Parallel Mothers (otherwise known as Madres Paralelas) tells the story of two mothers who give birth the same day. It is starring Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón.

Here is the NYFF synopsis for Parallel Mothers: “In this muted contemporary melodrama, two women, a generation apart, find themselves inextricably linked by their brief time together in a maternity ward. The circumstances that brought them to the Madrid hospital are quite different — one accidental, the other traumatic — and a secret, hiding the truth of the bond that connects these two, is a powerful story that tackles a deep trauma in Spanish history. Penélope Cruz’s Janis is a uniquely complex, flawed, but ultimately alluring lead character, who finds herself in a morally and emotionally treacherous situation. She’s viewed in contrast with Ana, radiantly portrayed by newcomer Milena Smit, a discovery who brings a palpable innocence, pain, and longing to this interwoven portrait of women and motherhood. These charismatic stars inhabit characters who are singular among those drawn by Almodóvar in a career defined by striking portraits of women.”

The 59th New York Film Festival is set to take place between September 24th – 10th October 2021.