Film Fresh

Internationally acclaimed writer/director Pedro Almodovar (WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN!) delivers his finest film yet, a poignant masterpiece of unconditional love, survival and redemption. Manuela (Roth) is a hard-working nurse and the perfect mother. She's built a comfortable life for herself and her teenage son, an aspiring writer. But when tragedy strikes and her beloved only child is killed in a car accident, her world crumbles. The heartbroken woman learns her son's final wish was to know of his father -- the man she abandoned when she was pregnant 18 years earlier. Returning to Barcelona in search of him, Manuela overcomes her grief and becomes caregiver to a colorful extended family: a pregnant nun (Cruz), a transvestite prostitute (San Juan) and two troubled actresses (Paredes and Pena). With riveting performances, unforgettable characters and creative plot twists, this touching screwball melodrama is "an absolute stunner. A funny, touching and vital film marks a career peak for Almodovar!" (Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE)