Volver (Almodovar) [2006] - DVD (Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo - Dir: Pedro Almodovar)

Spanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar's 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews of Volver (Almodovar) [2006]

Mr. R. S. Sahota
West Midlands, UK
12th December 2008

Touching story by Almodovar
Another one of Almodovar's brilliant works. Not his best, but still, not a disappointment in any way. Loved the acting and even the mother had her part to play, at first making us wonder whether we are indeed seeing a ghost... are we? Far be it from me to spoil that bit! The part where Cruz sings and the mother watches on and sings is heart-wrenching.
For those that haven't seen the other Almodovar works, you're missing out. Then again, if you don't enjoy this movie, then perhaps his works aren't for you. Great movie.

Catholic Taste
UK
10th July 2008

Volver collapses under weight of its own ideas
As a Spain-ophile I love the idea of Pedro Almodovar and the Movida but when I watch the movies they never live up to the hype. Volver bites off a lot more than it can chew. The main theme is something like how women are forced into colluding with family secrets and how this compromises their relationships with each other. However, it throws in child abuse, reality TV, hairdressing and a lot more besides. The problem is that none of these are dramatised in terms of character development, the screenplay is largely incoherent, the themes don't hold together and the story with its improbable plot twists ends up being a melodrama. Stylistically, the film can't seem to settle down either, at times seeming almost like a Hitchcock homage including soundtrack, and at other times an Ortonesque comedy of manners. Apparently it is an homage to Italian neo-realism for what it's worth.

Is Amomodovar playing games with our expectations or is it just a bit of a mess? Is it saying something about the New Spain's difficult relationship with its past? At one point we are suddenly told that the main character, played by Penelope Cruz, is a frustrated singer and she breaks into song (miming to the superb Estrella Morente). Yet her thwarted career as a top flamenco artiste is never mentioned again.

There are great touches like the claustrophic funeral scene, the motif of the hilariously over the top kissing among the women and the slapstick of the women moving the freezer around. And the cast are great. But the pace drags in the last third and the movie never reaches a satisfactory climax. None of these things would have seemed important in the 1980s when the director was making films up as he went along on a shoe string and somehow capturing the spirit of the time. But in a big budget production we're entitled to expect him to have a bit more more control over his material.

Mr. A. Chilcott
Taffy Bhoy
28th April 2008

Entertaining family saga - go on it's worth the effort
There is no doubtng the beauty of Penelope Cruz, but after a few dodgy English language films (Sahara, Vanilla Sky etc) her acting ability has seriously been called into queston. Volver totaly debunks these doubts, she provides charm, vulnerability, feminine strength and a huge amount of sex appeal to a character that can at times be totally unsympathetic. The supporting cast is just as impressive, typical of Almodovar which is no bad thing - if you look in the dictionary for the word 'quirky' it should read 'just watch an Almodovar film and you'll know what it means'.
The film is not without it's faults (what is the point of the male lead in the film crew flirting with Cruz, and this storyline disappearing to nothing), however this is definitely worth 2 hours of your life. It is rich with character, humour as well as dealing with very serious issues like the abuse of children and how to deal with terminal illness, never being depressing, but tender and caring. Go on give it a shot - it's worth the effort!

Toby
Cardiff
16th April 2008

Almodovar's most accomplished ...
... piece of cinema. Volver is the culminating film of Almodovar's return to the pastoral. His most self-reflexive film, Volver examines Spain's rural community, here La Mancha, Almodovar's birth place, and the importance it places on family. Meaning 'to return', the film includes another sparkling performance from Penelope Cruz, unrecognisable from her Hollywood sojourn, and the 'return' of Carmen Maura from her eighteen year hiatus. This film is majestic. The colours, the mise-en-scene, the music, locations - everything is superb. If you want to just sit and be mesmerised by a beautifully crafted piece of art then Volver is for you.

Stampy
England
16th April 2008

Great Cruz in great drama
Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky) stars as Raimunda, a woman who is trying to focus on multiple jobs, her family and the death of her mother. She doesn't know however that her sister is being visited by the ghost of her mother.

Cruz is excellent as the lead, a very strong woman trying to hold life together. Her timing, facial expressions and general charisma infront of the camera is excellent and definitely Oscar worthy. Her strong position in this film will be a landmark for female actresses everywhere, a once in a lifetime performance and such a catalyst for females in the film industry. Best female performance in the past decade? I would say it doesn't come far off.

Set in Spain, this film captures a run down life beautifully, with dramatic issues focusing strongly on money, family, religion and survival. None more so when there are 10 second shots in between of Raimunda doing various jobs, showing strong realism and the culture.
The direction is marvellous to. Oscar winning Almodovar directs with a unique style, using a variety of shots to capture the mood and atmosphere of the dramatic situations.

The plot is very intriguing with plenty of twists and turns and emotional situations to justify the drama genre. Though I was getting slightly confused towards the end, the plot remains consistent and imaginative, focusing on strong issues and the lives and emotions of the characters.

A very emotional drama with strong direction and characters, Volver is one of the best foreign dramas in recent years.

8.5/10