Actress Penelope Cruz took on her most dramatic role yet in the Spanish film "Ma Ma" after she transformed into a mother suffering from best cancer.

The Spanish language movie, as per Mirror, was released in Spain later last year, and is expected to be shown in other countries this year, though no exact dates have been revealed.

Cruz portrays a mother from Madrid named Magda, who is diagnosed with breast cancer.

News.com.au reported that in playing the role, the stunning actress had to bare her body, and say goodbye to her hair.

It noted that her character lost all her hair prior to a mastectomy to get rid of a lump in her breast.

Speaking to Mirror, Cruz said that she really liked her character in the story because it was a unique role to play.

"I fell in love with the story of this woman, who is like a goddess, a sage. It was very important to me to take risks and at no time did I worry if I looked beautiful, was ugly or very ugly," the actress added.

She also said that the movie is also a way of giving tribute to all women who are facing the disease.

But it was not all easy for Cruz, as she mentioned with Variety that she also had a hard time playing her part as a cancer-stricken mom.

"It's one of the most complex, most beautiful characters I've ever been offered, the most difficult. Some films take years to come together, 'Ma Ma' has come together very fast," she noted.

In addition, Hollywood Life said that the 41-year-old actress made a bold move in accepting the role, since the character exposes her breasts on screen.

It added that as a cancer patient, shewent through the various stages of the disease, and dealt with the emotional struggles that came with it.

Hollywood Reporter's review of the movie revealed that Cruz aced playing a mother burdened with a terminal disease.

Though the performances of the characters were tagged as good, the same report observed that their characterisation was sketchy.

Despite this flaw, Hollywood Report noted that Cruz remained to be the strongest appeal factor in the movie because of her being "scatty, forgetful, moody, with a winsome, trusting innocence about her."

It noted that in the film, she remained the real character in the unreal world built around her.

For its part, IndieWire also pointed out that the film had an "air of dramatic self-importance," a lack of "self-awareness" and was "selfish." The outlet considers the film a failure.