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Volver (2007)

Volver
"He's naked - passed out drunk, and yet . . . "
Watch The Trailer!

Directed By:

Pedro Almodovar

Starring:

Penelope Cruz
Lola Duenas
Carmen Maura
Blanca Portillo

Released By:

Sony Pictures Classics

Released In:

2007

Rated:

R

Reviewed By:

Adam Mast

Reviewed On:

Wed Jan 31st, 2007

Grade:

B+


Volver marks the fourth master work by a Spanish film maker in 2006 (the other three being Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel), and while Pedro Almodovar's latest is smaller in scale (when stacked up against his colleagues' recent efforts), it's every bit as grand in terms of heart and soul.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time going into a detailed rundown of the plot, as this is a character driven piece. I will say that Volver is a drama, a comedy, a mystery, and a ghost story of sorts. It's also a beautiful look at a culture that Almodovar holds dear to his heart.

Penelope Cruz is outstanding as the luminous Rainmunda, a bright, cheery woman with a big skeleton in her closet. Lola Duenas is Sole, Rainmunda's shy and slightly withdrawn sister. Carmen Maura is Irene, a mysterious woman from Rainmunda and Sole's past. Together and apart, these three vastly different women affect each other's lives.

Pedro Almodovar often injects touchy subject matter into his films (see Talk To Her, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, etc.), but he does so in a tasteful, elegant manner. Volver has it's share of taboo situations, and once again, they're handled with the utmost respect. What's more, Almodovar is clearly in love with the women in his work. When I say in love, I don't necessarily mean in a romantic sense. What I mean to say is he loves their beauty, their soul, and their essence.

Almodovar is also a master at fusing various styles into one seamless piece of art. On several occasions, I thought I had Volver pegged. Early on in the film, I figured this was his attempt at Hitchcock. There's a knife, an awful confrontation, a death, and a potential cover up all set to a score that would make Bernard Hermann proud, but in the end, this isn't at all what the film is about. Volver is really a movie about dark secrets, forgiveness, and the power of family.

I really adore this movie. It isn't the type of film that grabs hold of you from the get go. No, this is the kind of movie that lingers with you after you've left the theater. It's haunting, poetic and absolutely gorgeous in it's execution. I should have expected no less from a wonderful talent like Pedro Almodovar.

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