Volver (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, this humorous fantasy stars Carmen Maura as Abuela Irene, who revisits her hometown in the La Mancha region — in spectral form — to resolve problems she couldn’t settle during her life. Abuela’s spirit gradually becomes a reassuring presence to her daughters (Penélope Cruz, in an Oscar-nominated performance, and Lola Dueñas) and granddaughter (Yohana Cobo).
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Carmen Maura, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave, Leandro Rivera
AWARDS:
2007 Academy Award®: Best Actress nominee: Penélope Cruz
2007 BAFTA®: Best Actress nominee: Penélope Cruz
2007 BAFTA®: Best Foreign Language Film nominee
REVIEW: Harkening back to my days in Spanish class, I recall that “volver” means “to return” in Spanish. And what a great title on so many levels - the return of Penelope Cruz after lackluster American movies and American scripts in a wonderfully original film in her native language, the return of Almodovar to his exalted status as one of the world’s great current directors after seeing several flicks of his that I thought overrated, and of course, in the context of the film, the return of Abuela, Raimunda’s (Cruz) and Sole’s (her sister) mother, from “the dead.”
After being somewhat disappointed by Almodovar’s other films (though to be fair, several of Almodovar’s most famous and mostly highly praised films are still unavailable on Netflix), I was so encouraged by how great this film was. Finally, I understood why everyone regards Almodovar as such a great director, and particularly, as Billy Wilder was in his day, such a great director of women. If you see this, you’ll understand that he is one of the few directors nowadays who truly understands women.
All of the film’s major roles are held by women and Almodovar’s deft direction explores the relationships between these women, the sisters, the sisters’ relationships with their mother and with their friends, and Raimunda’s relationship with her daughter. It takes a very skilled director to impart realistic emotions, reactions, thoughts, words and feelings that the audience will not only buy, but buy so completely as to fall in love with the characters.
Too many movies that focus on women seem inept and quickly devolve into stereotypes, “weepies,” “chick flicks” or Lifetime movies of the week - or they result in biopics (Elizabeth the 8th anyone?) - too many hankies, drama queens and hystrionic acting. With Volver, Almodovar gives me much hope that original, smart, touching films can indeed be made about women.
I couldn’t get over how realistic the actors were, like they were playing scenes from their own lives, whether they reflected on screen as laughs, anger, regular daily speech, amazement, reluctance, or any of the millions of feelings and reactions that a human can possibly go through during the course of a day, including boredom. Cruz’s reaction and perpetual sniffing of the air when she thinks she smells something very similar to her mother’s…errrr…flatulence is hilarious but also endearing. ;-) The result is that you will leave the picture touched and optimistic.
The acting is first-rate, not just Penelope Cruz, but the actresses who play her cancer-stricken friend, her sister, her daughter, and the wonderful Abuela. Talk about another highly talented foreign actress in Cruz that’s been written off stateside to act in hackneyed, boring movies like Sahara (Gong Li being another). In Volver, she shows she has better acting chops than most American actresses considered “A-list” today, whatever that means anymore.
Almodovar’s trademark high-intensity color palette is used to marvelous effect here - the blossoms popping off of Cruz’s various low-cut blouses (Almodovar does appreciate the female form!), the pop art graphic blooms of the opening and closing credits, the technicolor turquoise blue of the restaurant that Raimunda secretly runs after her friend entrusts it to her to sell to any interested buyers are just some examples.
An absolute must-see that will restore your confidence in great female performances and great story-telling.
4.5 stars
Audrey
