Poster for the film 'All About My Mother', 1999.

The plot originates in Pedro Almodóvar's earlier film 'The Flower of My Secret' (1995) which shows student doctors being trained in how to persuade grieving relatives to allow organs to be used for transplant, focusing on the mother of a teenager killed in a road accident.

The film was a commercial and critical success internationally, winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in addition to the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Awards for Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Direction (Almodóvar). The film also won 6 Goya Awards including Best Film, Best Director (Almodóvar), Best Actress (Cecilia Roth).