Review by John Delia
Touching and heartfelt the film ma ma releases this weekend and its heartbreaking story. The movie stars Penelope Cruz show her magical charm by multi award winning writer/director Julio Medem a filmmaker who deals with strange romances. This love story may be a bit bizarre, but it should leave a lasting memory on the ladies well after they have left the theater.
Magda (Penelope Cruz) a recently unemployed school teacher has been raising her son Dani (Tio Planell) since the separation from her husband Raul (Alex Brendemühl) due to his impropriety. During a visit with Julian (Asier Etxeandia) her gynecologist, she finds out that theirs’s a lump on her breast wall. Upset, but not overwrought she attends Dani’s soccer game where she meets Arturo (Luis Tosar) a professional scout that feels her son is a good prospect for a junior league.
Just before the game ends, Arturo gets a call from a hospital that they have his wife in a coma and daughter in critical condition who were brought there from an accident. Distraught, Arturo faints from high blood pressure with Magda accompanying him to the Hospital where his family has been taken. Thus begins a story that works with the disturbing elements and a surprising odd romantic thread that brings everyone together.
Written and directed by Julio Medem who’s not a stranger to developing plots that are often unusual, this one hits home in today’s society. Medem is noted for movies like Room in Rome that deals with an attraction between two women and Sex and Lucia about a woman looking for an adventurous love affair. Here he turns to the longing of a woman to take a gamble on love to keep part of her alive for her son.
His film ma ma takes some unexpected turns as it gets played out with Oscar Award winner Penelope Cruz in control of Magda. She’s a realist and knows what she must do to keep her mind from becoming unglued while dealing with both crisis. She’s also a person with empathy for others as she gets to know Arturo and the challenge that has been put before him. I really like Cruz in this role as she adds her screen charm to Magda that draws you into the character’s every word and movement.
Rated R by the MPAA for some nudity and brief sexual references, ma ma should appeal mostly to women. The nudity involves the medical examinations, while the brief sexuality gets entwined with the romance. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents. The film spools out in the Spanish language with English subtitles.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good film that’s well acted within the context of the heartbreaking story. (B)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Penelope Cruz, Luis Tosar, Asier Etxeandia, Tio Planell and Alex Brendemühl
Directed and Written By: Julio Medem (Sex and Lucia)
Genre: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: R for some nudity and brief sexual references
Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min.
Language: Spanish with English Subtitles
Release Date: May 27, 2016
Distributed by: Oscilloscope