Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Rickting After her 17 year old son is killed in a truly heart-string shattering moment, Manuela goes to Barcelona to find the father of her son but but soon gets wrapped up in further drama. All About My Mother, with its meticulously constructed thematic material, unique visuals and focus on women, is typical Pedro Almodovar material. AAMM is not an easy watch and at times really feels like an emotional gauntlet. For me, this felt more familiar than both Talk to Her and The Skin I Live in and this can be a bit slow at times. Unlike the other 2 Almodovar films I've seen this one's thematic purpose isn't always clear. This is often regarded as Almodovar's masterpiece and although I disagree with that, it certainly is a hugely striking film. It's a meticulously crafted and emotionally powerful piece of art with complex themes and complex characters at every turn, backed up with superb acting and a masterful auteur at the top of his game. It is perhaps a flawed masterpiece. It's got its problems, but it's a movie which nearly made me cry twice and a very intelligent piece of writing. This kind of film is what drama should be. 8/10

X Boy Many themes are mixed in 'All About My mother' and the best part is that it does not care about them at all. Movie has it's own pace, the goal set in start is lost somewhere to pursue important ones. It also clarifies how does a loss changes the point of view and feelings for someone. Reshaping one's own life over one's sorrow. Although set in Spain, it have major south American influence on characters and their lifestyle as well as technical departments. Like most of Pedro Almodovar, woman oriented turns into genderless story of people who are dealing with grief, regret while struggling with life to go on. 'Innocence does know itself' would perfectly describe the movie.

simbasible With outstanding character development, excellent direction, deft pacing and a thematically rich, original and always entertaining and involving plot, All About My Mother is a fantastic film which has its minor flaws including a bit too fast paced approach and at times a bit soapy nature, but it is otherwise a terrific movie with its fair share of likable and sympathetic characters, excellent tone ranging from serious to funny, wonderful themes superbly explored, authentic story, great influences and it is all around an engaging, smart and incredibly well acted movie and a standout work from the director. www.simbasible.com

gavin6942 Young Esteban (Eloy Azurin) wants to become a writer and also to discover the identity of his father, carefully concealed by his mother Manuela (Cecilia Roth). This is very visually striking film, with the bold use of primary colors (blues and reds) for scenery and often in the foreground. The cinematography in general is pretty decent, but it is evident that the director's real goal is to evoke emotion through color and patterns (the wallpaper in this film is outrageous).As a story, it is compelling and intriguing. To say there is one steady narrative is not strictly true. While it follows Manuela over a two month period, we are constantly being introduced to unlikely characters and see how they interact and their lives intertwine. Some twists are predictable, but many are not.The film has a way of making the taboo not so taboo. Prostitutes, transvestism, HIV, drug use and other topics come up and are discussed without seeming out of the ordinary or "wrong". But more interestingly, aside from a brief prostitution scene, the film is also very subtle -- there is little nudity and no drugs are ever on-screen.The parallels with "Streetcar Named Desire" and "All About Eve" are masterfully interwoven with the film. These two stories are both in the movie and alongside it. The character of Huma Rojo admires Bette Davis, and the film begins with a critique of "All About Eve" before Manuela begins living it. "Streetcar" is also a recurring theme... appearing as an actual play, but also more than this.Roger Ebert says the film is "sincere and heartfelt; though two of its characters are transvestite hookers, one is a pregnant nun and two more are battling lesbians, this is a film that paradoxically expresses family values." And he is right, echoing what I said above about none of this seeming "wrong"... it is just another family trying to live, albeit a family structure not normally recognized as "family".He further says, "Manuela is the heroine of the film and its center, but Agrado is the source of life." This is a difficult assessment to agree with or not. Manuela clearly is the heroine, but is Agrado the "source of life"? Or is s/he a tragic, yet comic figure? It is difficult to envy or admire her, though she has chosen this way of life on purpose: every inch of her body was an intentional act. She has followed her dreams, as misguided and foolhardy as we may think they are.I am not familiar with the director's other work, but giving this film an Oscar seems more than fair. It tells a story that is not strictly one of Spain but is far more universal. And while most of us do not have prostitution and heroin in our daily lives, we do understand the role of motherhood.