Cruz’s superb performance elevates this lovely if sometimes flawed drama about family, friendship and illness
There is such a lovely performance here from Penélope Cruz: rich, intelligent, generous – her best since Almodóvar’s Volver. Without Cruz, this movie might not have added up to as much. But with her vivid presence, it shimmers and throbs. Writer-director Julio Medem has created a very emotional drama; the word “weepie” does it a disservice, as it did to the movies of Douglas Sirk. Cruz plays Magda, an unemployed teacher and single mum to a bright teenage boy called Dani (Teo Planell). At the moment she discovers she has breast cancer, Magda forms a tender relationship with Arturo, a man dealing with a tragedy of his own: this is another of the film’s outstanding performances – that excellent Spanish actor, Luis Tosar. The movie further creates a kind of platonic love triangle,...
There is such a lovely performance here from Penélope Cruz: rich, intelligent, generous – her best since Almodóvar’s Volver. Without Cruz, this movie might not have added up to as much. But with her vivid presence, it shimmers and throbs. Writer-director Julio Medem has created a very emotional drama; the word “weepie” does it a disservice, as it did to the movies of Douglas Sirk. Cruz plays Magda, an unemployed teacher and single mum to a bright teenage boy called Dani (Teo Planell). At the moment she discovers she has breast cancer, Magda forms a tender relationship with Arturo, a man dealing with a tragedy of his own: this is another of the film’s outstanding performances – that excellent Spanish actor, Luis Tosar. The movie further creates a kind of platonic love triangle,...
- 6/23/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Title: Ma Ma Director: Julio Medem Starring: Penelope Cruz, Luis Tosar, Asier Etxeandia, Alex Brendemuhl, Silvia Abascal, Teo Planell, Samuel Viyuela. The Spanish melodramatic movie ‘Ma Ma’, presented at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival, marks the return of director Julio Medem. The winner of a Goya (for his feature ‘Vacas’) – whose works have been compared to Krzysztof Kie?lowski’s – goes lyrical, with the story of a single mother who is diagnosed cancer. Magda (Penelope Cruz) is an unemployed teacher, who forms a sudden bond with Arturo (Luis Tosar), a widowed soccer scout, while she goes to see her son (Teo Planell) play a game. Thus begins a journey, that [ Read More ]
The post Ma Ma Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Ma Ma Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/8/2016
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
With a gentle humor in the light of the pain it explores, Julio Medem’s Ma Ma keeps it lens squarely focused on Penélope Cruz’s Magda, a young mother diagnosed with breast cancer and various stages of coping with a new reality. Putting off going to the doctor, the news is bleak, requiring the amputation of her right breast. As she comes to terms with the implications of this new reality, both as a mother, a women, and an object of desire, she studies herself in the mirror in a few sequences of somewhat heavy-handed symbolism.
At her son’s soccer game she encounters a talent scout Arturo (Luis Tosar) who receives a phone call with awful news: a car accident has killed his daughter and wife in a sequence that is abrupt and to the point. Rushing with Arturo to the hospital, she becomes sucked into his world.
At her son’s soccer game she encounters a talent scout Arturo (Luis Tosar) who receives a phone call with awful news: a car accident has killed his daughter and wife in a sequence that is abrupt and to the point. Rushing with Arturo to the hospital, she becomes sucked into his world.
- 5/11/2016
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.