Parallel Mothers (2021) review

Pregnant - and single - moms Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) find themselves both giving birth at the same exact time in the hospital ... but trouble arises later on when Janis realizes her little girl doesn't "look" like her (or any of her relatives), and when she takes a Maternity Test it's shown that she isn't the actual mother.  You have to him credit for taking a plot that could have easily been at home on either Lifetime or The Hallmark Channel but sprucing it up with a lot of style and intellect: all of the performances are very good, and Pedro makes sure to sneak in a political message about mass graves in Spain and the need to be aware of and stay in touch with one's roots.  It's interesting to see how the auteur has matured over time: there's still a bad boy in there, but he's a little more sentimental, and I appreciate that.