Pedro Almodóvar tells the story of two pregnant women, Johnny Knoxville is back and not afraid of painful stunts, and a snow leopard fascinates in the wild. These are the films of the week.
“Parallel Mothers”: Almodóvar’s homage to women
Berlin – With his sensitive melodramas, in which he often focuses on women, Pedro Almodóvar is an integral part of European cinema. Just think of “Volver – Returning” or the Oscar-winning work “All About My Mother”. In his latest film, the Spanish director once again focuses on women. “Parallel Mothers”, with Penélope Cruz in one of the leading roles, tells the story of two very different mothers whose lives are linked by fate: the photographer Janis (Cruz) is a self-confident single woman in the middle of life. In the hospital she meets 17-year-old Ana, who is also pregnant. (Parallel Mothers, Spain 2021, 123 min., FSK from 6, by Pedro Almodóvar, with Penélope Cruz, Rossy de Palma, Israel Elejalde,
“Jackass” team can be bitten again
Berlin (dpa) – 22 years after the start, the cult show “Jackass” is coming to the cinema for the fourth time. “Jackass Forever” has had a great start in the USA. Basically, the crew around Johnny Knoxville does nothing different than they watched when the US television show started on MTV in 2000: a series of incoherent, painful, very shallow and often quite funny stunts and tricks. Many familiar faces from the regular cast are there. In addition to the now grey-haired Knoxville, there are Steve-O, Wee Man, Chris Pontius and Dave England. There are also a few new members, including Rachel Wolfson, who is probably the first female “Jackass” member. (Jackass Forever, USA 2021, 96 minutes, FSK 16+, by Jeff Tremaine, with Johnny Knoxville, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Steve-O)
The moving cinema documentary “The Snow Leopard”
Berlin (dpa) – In “The Snow Leopard” you can take part in the patient search for a rare big cat in Tibet for around 90 minutes. Boring? Not at all. “The Snow Leopard”, a documentary film directed by Munier and Marie Amiguet and overwhelmed with advance praise, is a cinema event of a special kind. The French nature photographer Munier and his companion, the writer Sylvain Tesson, film their journey to the Tibetan highlands. Viewers can expect images of deserted steppe and mountain landscapes that are incredibly fascinating despite their sparseness. Before the moving finale with the snow leopard, the two French see numerous other mountain animals. (The Snow Leopard. Documentary, France 2021, 92 minutes, by Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier; with Vincent Munier, Sylvain Tesson)
“Luchadoras”: Women defy danger in Mexico
Ciudad Juárez (AP) – “Luchadoras” portrays women who step into the ring as wrestlers in Mexico. And that in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, especially for women: Ciudad Juárez. Wearing colorful masks and costumes, they confidently stride across the dunes in the documentary by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim. The film title “Luchadoras” (fighters) describes the protagonists in two senses: They fight in the ring as well as outside – for survival, for a better life for their children. The main characters are three fighters: Lady Candy, Baby Star and Mini Sirenita. Especially in emotional moments, the camera is very close to the women. (Luchadoras, D/MEX 2021, 92 min., FSK from 12, by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim, with Lady Candy, Mini Sirenita, Baby Star) dpa
