Ma Ma

This is a very disappointing film that started with so much promise, tackling a very important, harrowing and emotional subject. Some of that responsibility has to fall on Penelope Cruz’s shoulders as producer, but the lion share has to be on Julio Medem as writer and director.

Magda (Cruz) is diagnosed with breast cancer by doctor Julian (Asier Etxeandia) – with whom she strikes up an odd friendship - and is told that she will have to have chemotherapy and a mastectomy. There’s never a good time for these things but Magda has the added complications of bringing up a football obsessed teenage son and her husband walking out on her with one of his students. She meets and befriends soccer scout Arturo (Luis Tosar) who has his own tragedy to deal with. One thing leads to another, love blooms, some good times but then we hit the sentimentality wall.

Cruz is the best thing about this film being at both her comedic and dramatic best. There’s a delightful scene where she’s watching Spain in the finals of the European Championships in 2012 on her own, clearly not knowing anything about football but she starts to dance about embarrassingly, waving to her neighbours when Spain score. Her reaction to the diagnosis is touching with humour and defiance. Unfortunately, the adult male cast just aren’t up to it, and come over as wet, and are completely in Cruz’s shadow.

Had the film continued on its original course it may have ended up a touching yet not terribly original drama. As it is the latter part of the film when it takes a darker course deals with this by surreal images, unbelievable about-turns, unlikely friendships and an ending that is just toe curling. The inclusion of theology and philosophy just confuses matters; it really is trying too hard.

So what we end up with is Cruz hallucinating, going backwards and forwards through time entwining with an ever engulfing sentimentality. The soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias doesn’t help matters sometimes sounding like a flimsy As Time Goes By.

The film does look good, the washed out colours add a touch of surrealism that suit the stylised approach. But in the end it’s the story and the characters that don’t hold true making this a very difficult film to make any connection with.