If you are familiar with Pedro Almodóvar’s film work, you know that he featured Antonio Banderas in many of his early films and that he provides a forum for some of the best Spanish actresses to strut their stuff. You also know that his films are generally lightweight comedies that feature unconventional characters like prostitutes, drug dealing nuns, psychotic killers, or women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Almodóvar’s work is a great deal of fun and is more highly regarded for his cinematic style than he is for the substance.

There is no Antonio Banderas in All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre), but the film sports the usual menagerie of wacky characters that Almodóvar is famous for. Almodóvar demonstrates more restraint and shows a great deal more heart than in his previous work. All About My Mother brought tears to my eyes in a number of places, and there are some scenes that are so gut wrenching that I can only imagine Meryl Streep playing them had the film been shot in the United States.

Instead, Cecelia Roth stars as Manuela, bringing on the tears as the mother who faces some of Life’s biggest challenges. I must serve warning to people who have lost close family members, that this movie may hit uncomfortably close to home for you. I realize this after a friend became upset with me for recommending the movie for that very reason.

The story begins in Madrid with the 16th birthday of Manuela’s son, Estaban (Eloy Azarin). We discover rapidly that Estaban has a close relationship with his mother and strongly desires to become a writer. Through his journal we also learn of his father: “Last night Mom showed me a picture. Half of it was missing. I didn’t want to tell her, but my life is missing that same half.”

While Estaban believes that his father died when he was too young to remember, we suspect there is more to the story as they sit through a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire. Manuela is extremely moved by the scene where Stella storms out of the house, swearing to never return. It’s a scene that we’ll see repeated, and it’s a scene that we find Manuela has played herself on stage and in real life.

Soon Manuela is returning to Barcelona on the train with some dazzling camera work inside a revolving white tunnel symbolic of a re-birth that explodes into a beautiful overhead shot of Barcelona. Manuela has not been back since she left her husband 18 years before without a trace.

We now begin to meet the expected bizarre menagerie of Amoldovar type characters, as Manuela begins searching for her husband in The Field, a meeting place to find transvestite, transsexual, and regular prostitutes of all preferences. She sees someone that she recognizes. Could this be her husband? It appears to be a lady who is getting severely beaten, and Manuela comes to her rescue as she will do with many of the characters in the film.

The beaten prostitute turns out to be old friend Agrado, delightfully played by Antonia San Juan, a transsexual who provides the necessary comic relief for the film. San Juan is so comfortable and natural that we fully enjoy her character that greatly contrasts with the other serious actresses in the film. At one point she expresses a desire to accompany a pregnant Nun to El Salvador because there is so much competition for sexual favors in Barcelona, saying “I could make it big in the third world. Drag queens are such sleaze bags!”

Agrado is an old friend of Manuela’s, back in the days that Manuela earned her living on the streets. It turns out that they both know Lola intimately and are connected through her. If you’re familiar with the Kinks song, you can guess some of the remaining pieces of the puzzle. Especially if you are familiar with the “typical” Almodóvar characters. In time we meet a fallen Nun, an estranged mother, a senile father who can’t remember his own daughter, a Grande dame of the theater who has an infatuation with her supporting actress, and another actress who is a junkie.

There is much to admire in this Almodóvar film. His use of bright colors and creative camera angles are reminiscent of Spike Lee’s work, yet this gives us a lively glimpse of Spanish culture with its relaxed quality. Credit Almodóvar with some excellent screen writing as well. While there is masterful control over the script, some of the dialog flows so naturally that it must be improvised.

Almodóvar’s freewheeling plots and characters have always indicated his tremendous talent, yet the tighter structure shows how he can touch on deeper themes. I especially like the parallel stories that go on between Manuella, Sister Rosa, and Rosa’s mother, and Almodóvar ingeniously weaves Tennessee Williams’ play into his story. It profoundly makes us realize how we must appreciate the moments we have, serve others, and live our lives honestly. And the film accomplishes this without preaching to us.

None of this would work without Cecilia Roth, however. She carries this film and is in nearly every frame and runs the gamut of emotions throughout. While generating heartfelt tears and sobs garner attention and have people talking about actress awards, Roth also captures the quiet moments effectively. You actually can sense her sincere concern for others and feel her wisdom and caring, even beyond the profession of the nurse that she portrays.

Roth personifies the “Earth Mother,” who continues to give of herself to her son, to her friends, and to new people. Like Streetcar's Blanche, who “always relied on the kindness of strangers,” actress Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes) finds that she must rely in real life on Manuella. So do Sister Rosa, her mother, and everyone else that she meets. After a natural reluctance to let Sister Rosa into her life, she still offers her sound wisdom on getting along with her mother and covers for her during the doctor’s examination by explaining that Rosa does “social work.” Roth’s response is so natural that it brings inward, knowing smiles.

In Spanish w/ English subtitles, All About My Mother is not for the kids. Its sexual content alone would prevent that. But seeing this film will convert a few "non readers" to check out more foreign language fare and additional material from the famous Spanish director. This ranks among Almodóvar's strongest films to date.