Ma Ma

2015

comments by Johnny Moronic:

Another new Spanish movie.

Ma Ma is a drama about Magda (Penélope Cruz) who has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer by her doctor Julián (Asier Etxeandia), meaning she will need a mastectomy. One the same day watching her son playing football, she meets scout Arturo (Luis Tosar), who says that her son may be recruited to his club, but then he receives a call from the hospital saying that his daughter and wife have been in a car accident and his daughter has died and his wife is fighting for her life. Magda accompanies Julián to the hospital and comforts him, but Arturo's wife dies. Magda gets a mastectomy and Arturo and Magda get together but then she gets the bad news that the cancer has come back and this time she's terminal. But, then Magda becomes pregnant, but it's touch and go as to whether she will live long enough to give birth, but Magda with the love of Arturo, her son and the rather attentive doctor is determined to leave with one last gift.

Fairly decent teary drama from Spanish auteur Julio Medem (Habitación en Roma, Caótica Ana, Sex and Lucia) that is decidedly upbeat considering the amount of disaster that happens in the movie. Worth a look if you are into Spanish melodramas.

I was looking to see if I had capped everything from Ma Ma and come across another version which had some extra scenes I was absolutely sure wasn't in the Bluray version I watched. Looks like there's an earlier version of the movie that was only available in Russia, so the video from this cut I have below has some Russian dubbing in it. The official release is without these scenes, so I don't think it's a matter of cut/uncut versions. Also suggesting this is the case is that there is no HD version of the cut. The scenes that are added in this cut better explain the doctor's relationship to Magda and make it slightly less bizarre how attentive he is in the movie.

2015

Penelope Cruz film clips (samples below)

unidentified actresses film clips (samples below)