Volver - Zurückkehren

Despite its gorgeous collection of images and a cast whose performances are tremendous across the board, Volver suffers from a reckless and haphazard plot. Almodóvar has a tendency to treat his plot points as if he were a Roman aristocrat in a vomitorium, throwing stuff at us that makes little or no sense within the emotional context of the film, and frequently fails to plane up with our previous understanding of the characters. This is particularly true with the inciting incident, and with the revelation at the movie's conclusion; moments that give birth to the unassailable "what?", "why?", and "why didn't . . .?" and leave us fending for ourselves in our attempts to put details in their proper places. While the plot always succeeds in engaging the viewer, it compromises our ability to treat the film with the seriousness it would otherwise deserve.

I saw this film yesterday and it got me thinking well after I had left the cinema. It made me cry and it made me laugh. It is a choral film where women (as usual with Almodóvar) have the upper hand. I'm not a big fan of Penélope but I must admit she's really up to scratch this time. She has clearly fed on Sofia Loren to come up with the very credible character of Raimunda: tight skirts, high heels and generous cleavage. Carmen Maura and Lola Dueñas are simply magnificent. Also Chus Lampreave as Tía Paula (even in a too-short appearance inspired in Almodóvar's mother) is superb. Almodóvar himself has admitted that this is one of his most personal films, set in his home region of La Mancha and full of memories of his own childhood. Great music too. The moment of the tango ("Volver" by C. Gardel) turned into flamenco really makes you break in goose pimples. However, it is not Penélope's voice, but flamenco-star Estrella Morente's. If you like Almodóvar, you will certainly like this film.

Volver is a movie centering on women, for the woman.

Volver (pronounced Bol-ber in Spanish) means "Return". The theme "return" revolves around the film. Three generations of women: The granny (Carmen Maura) returning from the dead, the mother Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) returning from her discordant life, and daughter (Yohana Cobo) recovering from abuse from her step father.

Penelope Cruz is colorful and affecting playing Raimunda, probably her best role to date. This role will assure others of her capability to act, napping several Best Actresses nominations to date. She may have lost the Oscars to the Queen, but she won't be just known as the ex-girlfriend of Tom Cruise.

This is a culturally rich movie which brings us to the back alleys of Spain, looking at lives from the rich to the poor. The cinematography is vibrant as well, as the screen is littered with the rich tomatoes, floral dresses and a top-angle view of Penelope Cruz assets. All done on purpose and beautifully definitely.

There are many 'woman' issues – from motherhood, single hood, sister hood, self worth and independence. Male actors are almost non-existence, playing only bit parts and there is no hint of any impending love stories. Perhaps this is also why I didn't identify much with this movie. For the males, do not worry as Volver isn't any soapy melodrama. With its twists and fun, it is still an enjoyable comedy about second chances.

Volver – The women scores, and so does Penelope http://themovieclub.blogspot.com

'Volver' starts at a cemetery where the women are cleaning the graves on a windy day. Young mother Raimunda (Cruz), who after attending her mother's grave, finds herself widowed, thanks to her daughter. Her sister, Sole (Lola Duenas) sees a ghost of her dead mother and their battling-with-cancer friend Augustina is in search of her own truth about her mother. Almodovar's colourful canvas is a wonderful portrait of women in Spain. Though it is a colourful portrait, it's dark but somewhat humorous and appealing. Almodovar tells the story in a sensible but somewhat simpler tone. There are some shocking revelations but 'Volver' does not dwell on any one particular incident. It's the story of the women.

Penelope Cruz gives one of her finest performances. It's been evident in her recent film choices (that also include 'Bandidas' that she's experimenting with different roles. As Raimunda, she speaks her mind, she's energetic, she's brave and a risk taker but at the same time she's vulnerable and is hiding a dark 'shameful' secret. Lola Duenas's Sole is a loner (but she loves her sister and niece). She's independent and satisfied with her life. The actress does nothing short of a great job. Carmen Maura is equally great as the 'ghost' bringing lots of laughter but even during Irene's own vulnerable sad moments she is outstanding. Portillo's Agustina, is a quieter lonely character who loves the sisters. The actress skillfully underplays her part and her immense talent is especially evident in the darkly humorous and somewhat sad talk-show scene. Like Almodovar's 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre', 'Volver' is about distinctive female characters and the viewer loves these women and feel involved in their stories.

Like most Almodovar's films, the soundtrack is part of the narration that adds to his slightly weird chaotic world. Similarly, Iglesias's score brings out the richness of the atmosphere created by the wonderful cinematography (thanks to excellent photography). The Spanish streets, the vivacious culture is just presented in Almodovar's unique style.

'Volver' is witty, warm, funny, colourful, disturbing, uplifting and lightly dark with a well told story and lovable characters portrayed wonderfully by the actresses.

Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), her daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) and her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) travel from Madrid to the windy and superstitious village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to visit the grave of their mother and aunt Irene (Carmen Maura), who died years ago in a fire with her husband. Then they visit Irene's sister Paula (Chus Lampreave), an old senile aunt that raised Raimunda after the death of her parents that insists to tell them that Irene is alive and living with her; later, they go to the house of her neighbor and friend Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who gives a support to Paula. They return to Madrid, and after a hard day of work, Raimunda meets her daughter completely disturbed in the bus stop waiting for her. When they arrive home, Paula tells that she killed her unemployed father Paco (Antonio de la Torre), who was completely drunk and tried to rape her. While Raimunda is hiding his body, Sole calls her to tell that their beloved aunt Paula had died. On the next morning, Sole travels alone to the funeral, and when she returns to Madrid, she finds her mother hided in the truck of her car. She brings Irene to her apartment, where secrets from the past are disclosed.

"Volver" is another great movie of this awesome director Pedro Almodóvar, who explores the emotions of the characters in a mysterious and traumatic situation. It is visible that Almodóvar changed his original aggressive style to a more commercial and less anarchic one, keeping his trademark with the usual bright colors, but without the usual references to the Catholic church or homosexual and bizarre characters, maybe because he is more experienced now. Nevertheless, it is impressive how Penélope Cruz is a stunning actress when she works in her home country, and Almodóvar achieves a magnificent performance not only from her, but from this wonderful cast. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Volver"