Director: Pedro Almodovar
By Alex Watson
While Julieta might not be Pedro Almodovar's strongest piece, it is still nonetheless absorbing. His tale of love and loss takes us to the very heart of a mother/daughter relationship. A pair of fine performances from Adriana Ugarte and Emma Suarez as the older and younger version of Julieta are what gives this picture the fire in its belly. Almodovar injects a heavy sense of longing and regrets as someone revisits what turns them upside down.
Planning to leave her Madrid home, Julieta (Emma Suarez) is about to leave for Portugal with her boyfriend Lorenzo (Daniel Grandinetti). However, after a chance encounter with an old acquaintance, she learns news of her daughter estranged Antia. Hoping for a reunion, Julieta abandons her travel plans and stays. During this period, she revisits how her youthful self (Adriana Ugarte) met her daughter's father Xoan (Daniel Grao).
The early part of Almodovar's film is where the interest really sparks. We met Julieta as a young, bleach blonde teacher making her way by train. Lost for someone to talk to, she is initially perturbed by a nervous older gentleman attempting to spark conversation. Fleeing to the dining cart, she meets fisherman Xoan and immediately is swept off her feet. Her choice of partner will soon set off a number of events that define the course of her life. Immediately deciding to pursue him, she is met with a coolness by his housekeeper Marian (Rossy De Palma). In no uncertain terms, Marian tries to persuade her to ignore her heart and leave this one be. The true meaning of her words will only take effect midway through.
Red is a recurring colour through Julieta as it appears to symbolise loss but could also represent Julieta's desire for love. One of the principle errors is that when the inciting incident hits, the audience doesn't feel floored because we partly expect it. What comes afterwards is a heartbreakingly true representation of grief. Lost in a daze, Julieta's relationship with daughter Antia (Priscilla Delgado/Blanca Pares) goes into turmoil. When her daughter escapes before Julieta can pick her up from camp she drives a red car. When her daughter sends an empty card on her mother's birthday, there is a red berry cake on the table. Almodovar's hints towards this are clever at first but soon become too painstakingly obvious. This estrangement is what really sucker punches the audience and the motherly love aspect runs along identical lines to Almodovar classic 'All About My Mother'.
Despite having a continually downtrodden feel, the faint light of hope is never extinguished. The older Julieta is a filled with remorse over her prior actions. She sees her daughter's estrangement as her own doing and revisiting her younger self is like trying to uncover a mystery. Lorenzo provides her with a tower of strength during the final due to his patience and kindness which gives her what she needs to move forward. Almodovar however, does perhaps include more side stories than necessary that keep the movie diverting from the path. The throwaway story of her father's perhaps romantic relationship with her mother's carer is barely developed. A big question we find ourselves asking is whether Julieta deserves to reunited with her daughter? The acts she commits are not ill-intentioned but they do often spur the worst to happen. The morality of this decision is one that wrestles us throughout because like most people we hate hurting those we love.
Adriana Ugarte emerges as a new and very beautiful talent in this picture. Breathing a life into the early scenes as she breezes on screen, Ugarte is simply mesmerising. Her playful side slowly turns into a deep depression as Ugarte skillfully brings about her characters big change. Giving a turn that is forever maturing, this is one actress worth keeping an eye on Spanish cinema. Emma Suarez is likewise excellently as the older and more remorseful Julieta. Suarez's continually downbeat face tells the whole story of her life regrets. However, she also invests a spirit in this character that keeps her moving rather than giving in.
Julieta is not the best Pedro Almodovar film you will see but even his lesser films are engaging. His observations of love and what motherhood really means are still thought provoking and memorable.
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