It is Almodóvar's 20th feature, and stars Emma Suárez and Adriana Ugarte as old and young Julieta, alongside Daniel Grao, Inma Cuesta, Darío Grandinetti, Michelle Jenner, and Rossy de Palma.

It made its international debut at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, and was released across the world throughout the remainder of 2016.

While an older Antía is at a summer camp, Xoan and Julieta argue over his occasional dalliances with Ava, prompted by the housekeeper.

Back in the present, Lorenzo has gone to Portugal and Julieta's mental state is deteriorating as she obsessively visits places she used to go to with her daughter.

[4] The director admitted that he had not been completely faithful to the source material,[5][6] but noted the significance of Munro's depiction of family relationships and the links between women, which he believed to be an important part of his adaptation.

[9] Almodóvar originally thought Julieta would serve as his English-language film debut, with American actress Meryl Streep in the lead role, playing three versions of the character at 20, 40 and 60 years old.

[10] He met Streep, who agreed to the concept,[10] and found locations in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where Munro based her stories.

[11] Years later, members of his production team suggested that the script should be revisited but, this time, setting the film in Spain and making it in Spanish.

[15] On the employment of two actresses, Almodóvar later said, "I don't trust the effects of make-up for aging, and it's almost impossible for a young woman of 25 to have the presence of someone of 50.

[17] In preparation for the film, Almodóvar encouraged Suárez and Ugarte to read The Year of Magical Thinking (2005), a book on mourning by American author Joan Didion, and Other Lives but Mine (2009) by French writer Emmanuel Carrère for inspiration.

[18] Almodóvar also recommended Suárez watch Elevator to the Gallows (1958) by Louis Malle[19] and The Hours (2002) by Stephen Daldry, and that she contemplate Lucian Freud's paintings.

[6] Julieta went into production in April 2015[22] with Jean-Claude Larrieu as cinematographer and frequent collaborator Alberto Iglesias composing the film's score.

[22][26][27] Almodóvar later stated that he wanted to use the deserted mountainous areas to mark a significant distance from the city of Madrid to emphasise how the characters change their outlooks on life according to the environment they are in.

[37] It was also due to be screened at the Yelmo Ideal cinema in Madrid on 6 April 2016,[38] where Almodóvar had planned to deliver interviews and have photos.

However, due to the controversy surrounding his name being listed in the Panama Papers earlier that week, he cancelled the event and all other press engagements for the film in the run up to its release.

The website's critics consensus states, "Julieta finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar revisiting familiar themes – and doing so with his signature skill.

"[61] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 31 critics, which indicates "generally favourable reviews".

[63] Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa additionally observed influences of Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Kieślowski and Douglas Sirk in Almodóvar's style.

[67] Quim Casas from El Periódico de Catalunya said that Almodóvar had reinvented melodrama: "Prodigious in dramatic tone, Julieta is very Almodóvarian but at the same time different to other works by the auteur".

[68] ABC gave the film a mixed review; praising Suárez in the lead role but criticising narrative choices.

[69] Carlos Boyero, the "sworn critical enemy" of Almodóvar,[70] penned an extremely negative review in El País, feeling distanced and unable to identify with the characters because of the film's style and cinematography.

[77] L'Express thought Almodóvar had returned to the top of his game with Julieta, calling it "a work constantly on the edge, never overwhelmed by its own emotions, deliberately cold [and] even austere".

[78] Libération gave a positive review, but felt the film was "too well-oiled" which prevented the drama of the story from "truly expressing all its power of emotional attraction".

[81] Empire also responded very positively, calling the film "a celebration of elegance and good living as well as motherly love and romance".

[82] Time Out singled out the cinematography, design, costumes and Iglesias' score as "typically exquisite", concluding that: "It might be familiar territory for Almodóvar, but only a master of his art could make it look so easy".

[83] The Daily Telegraph called the film a "guilt-soaked pleasure" and also highlighted its score and cinematography as well as the performances of Suárez and Ugarte.

[85] Gay Star News highlighted the "visually resplendent" cinematography and "sensitive" acting performances, concluding that "all the Almodóvar trademarks are here, and he's as flamboyant and fun as ever – but there's a seriousness to this familial drama that's as compelling as it is deeply satisfying".

[95] However, TheWrap thought that "a subdued Almodóvar is still a far sight weirder and more intriguing than most directors", adding that the film is "a worthy part of a canon in which decorous should never be confused with dull".

Scott of the New York Times wrote "Julieta is scrupulous, compassionate and surprising, even if it does not always quite communicate the full gravity and sweep of the feelings it engages.

[99] Agustín Almodóvar later admitted that the film being a drama and not a comedy, made it harder to sell to a mainstream audience, coupled with the Panama Papers scandal which provoked Almodóvar to halt all press engagements in the run up to Julieta's release were the two main factors in the disappointing box office results.