Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Yohana Cobo, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Chus Lampreave, Leandro Rivera

- Reviewed by Linda

For me, nothing in Pedro Almodóvar's catalogue has matched the transcendence of All About My Mother, his 1999 film which has nestled itself in my short list of favorite movies of all time. But, after his good-but-not great follow-ups Bad Education (dark) and Talk to Her (inherently creepy), I'm pleased to say Almodóvar is back in form with the funny, weird, and warmly satisfying Volver.

Almodóvar's camera likes to make out (in the best way) with his actresses. Unlike a manly man director like, say, Martin Scorsese, Almodóvar (a gay man) obviously loves loves LOVES women. And lucky for us—his female characters are quirky, mischievous, sad, fierce, strong, and loving. It is no fluke that the women of Volver shared the Best Actress prize at Cannes.

Penélope Cruz leads the outstanding cast, breasts first. With her low-cut, tight-fitting outfits, her padded bottom, and her touseled raven hair, she is exaggerated femininity. She is so freakin' hot she is on fire. But rather than play her as a sex symbol, Cruz's Raimuda is a strong and determined woman whose priority is her family and her daughter. When Raimuda's teenager daughter (Yohana Cobo) gets into quite the bind, Raimuda unblinkingly protects her daughter from any repercussions, ready for the ultimate sacrifice if necessary.

In the meantime, Raimuda's aunt passes away in her hometown village. Her meek sister Sole (Lola Duenas) goes to the funeral to represent the family, and finds out that her and Raimuda's dead mother had supposedly been taking care of their ailing aunt. The villagers, full of superstition, accepted the ghost's presence in the town, and now that the spectre's job is done, the spirit of mom decides to gome home with her daughter Sole. Let's just say, when a ghost mother is played by Almodóvar favorite Carmen Maura, you know she'll be a character.

Now, I wouldn't blame you if you read the previous paragraphs and said, "Ummmm.... what?" as far as the plot. Volver is indeed an odd movie, with storylines twisting and spiralling off into tangents that sometimes don't seem to really go anywhere. But, rather than looking at it as a traditional three course meal, look at the movie as a buffet. Your meal is stretched out with a spoonful of this here, a sampling there, and maybe a slice of something else, followed by second helpings of everything. Almodóvar manages to throw in a mélange of ingredients like incest, prostitutes, pesky dead people, an unsolved mystery from the past, and yes, even a buffet style dinner flavored with song. By the end of the film, you feel full and satisfied. It may seem like the work of a mad chef, but Volver is a pleasing meal indeed.

Official Movie Site

Agree? Disagree? Go to the Forum!  |  Back to Video/DVD

Home | Currently Playing | For Rent | Links | "Get to know us!"

©2006 Moviepie e-mail us