Volver (2006)

Volver

Pedro Almodóvar 
Spain 

Incest? Sexual abuse? Death? What could be more tragic? Volver, by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain's leading filmmaker, addresses these heavy issues in a way that couldn't be less depressing. The film is a drama that derives its style from screwball comedies, italian neorealism and magical realism. Volver marks Almodóvar's third pairing with actress Penélope Cruz after her cameo in Live Flesh and a slightly larger role in All About My Mother. Here she graduates to lead in what is probably her greatest role ever. Almodóvar is a master filmmaker, with a recognizable style that permeates throughout his work, as well as being known for creating great roles for women that are strong and independent. The cast consists of an eccentric family of women whose men have failed them, but they band together and find strength in each other to keep moving forward. This is also Carmen Maura's first film with Almodóvar in 18 years, since they had a falling out while filming Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, in which she played the starring role.

Raimunda (Cruz) is the struggling mother of teenage Paula with a deadbeat husband who, in the beginning scenes, loses his job so she must take on extra work. While at work, he comes onto his step-daughter Paula and she kills him in self-defense. At the same time her aunt Paula, for whom her daughter is named after, dies of old age, and her sister, Soledad (Lola Dueñas), must travel to a small village in La Mancha to attend her funeral. Things turn strange when their mother's ghost starts turning up and follows Soledad back to Madrid. A small restaurant becomes vacant and Raimunda starts it up again, unbeknownst to the owner, and keeps her husband's corpse in a freezer in the back, a plot device that recalls Arsenic and Old Lace. The film displays her and her family's endeavors to stay on top, while tragedy and family history threatens to haunt them. 

Volver isn’t just an ordinary film. It's a loving tribute to Penélope Cruz as she lights up every scene she is in with such magnetism it is almost blinding. If you count the closeups it is definitely a high number but her face never outwears its welcome. Instead, they highlight her acting ability with an emphasis on facial expression. In some scenes she is laughing, then crying, then laughing again. The only comparison I can make is to those great old Hollywood actresses like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, where the camera adores her or maybe even worships her like some sort of goddess. I can't even think of a part this good for any actress in the last 40 years and I can guarantee if we all spoke Spanish this film would make her an legend like Marilyn Monroe. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars and should have won, but lost to Helen Mirren for The Queen. The entire female cast did win Best Actress at the Cannes Festival, however, along with the film taking Best Screenplay as well. 

Almodóvar, across a number topics, has maintained a unique approach of making light of unpleasant circumstances, but never belittling them. He is also known for having eccentric actors appear making him somewhat like a modern Federico Fellini. He is known for his other films, Talk to Her, All About My Mother, Law of Desire and Bad Education. Volver is up there with these great films as one of his best. His use of deep, saturated color makes it memorable and numbers as one of the greatest images in the history of recent color film. Very few films are willing to make colors pop like this. The movie reminds the viewer of an old three-strip technicolor film with its candy-colored images. Musicals must have been an influence as well, because there is a wonderful scene in which Cruz “sings” at a party being held at the restaurant her character runs. The film has a theme of strong relationships between women and the ways they band together in the face of adversity. You would never expect so much joy from a film whose main themes are so horrible, and while it can be sad at times, you inexplicably can't stop smiling.

Rating: 9/10

-Ryan Sallows