Volver		Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
In Spanish, “volver” means to return; and, for renowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, the title of his latest film is more than appropriate.  Volver marks Almodóvar’s return to his hometown of La Mancha, Spain as well as his return to the female-centric dramadies of his earlier career.  Of course, the title also refers to the ever-present ghosts as they return to haunt the present.  Volver’s cinematography reflects Almodóvar’s nostalgia for his hometown by contrasting La Mancha’s neutral-tone backgrounds against the bright bold colors of the characters.  At times, it’s almost as if the auteur director is romanticizing the city as well as the women of his past.  Yes, Volver is a story about women, for women, with no accommodation made for the male voice – the men of Almodóvar’s La Mancha are either absent or abusive.     The film opens with a graveyard scene where we find Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), her daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo), and Raimunda’s sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) dusting the tops of tombstones.  But, even more disturbing is Agustina (Blanca Portillo), the neighbor of Raimunda’s aunt, who is cleaning her own tombstone.  No, she isn’t a ghost.  Agustina just believes in taking care of business ahead of time.  Once Almodóvar is finished dragging out the character introductions, the second act kicks into gear when an unexpected tragedy causes Raimunda to dispose of an accidental murder victim.  At the same time, Sole’s attendance at Aunt Paula’s (Chus Lampreave) funeral sets into motion another major plotline when she encounters the ghost of her mother Irene (Carmen Maura).
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics			Of course, Irene isn’t really a ghost in the true sense of the word, even though she has lived like one ever since her mysterious disappearance some years earlier.  After stowing away in the trunk of Sole’s car, Irene somehow manages to convince her daughter she really is alive and starts helping out Sole in her hair salon by posing as a Russian woman.
In traditional Almodóvar fashion, Volver refuses to belong to any one genre, continuously blurring the boundary between drama and comedy.  One minute, the audience is asked to deal with the intensely uncomfortable subjects of incest and rape.  The next minute we’re laughing at the lame excuse Raimunda gives her neighbor when he interrupts her disposing of the body and she claims the blood splatter on her neck is just “woman troubles.”  Almodóvar also blurs the boundaries between life and death through the character of Irene.  Any family reunions are bound to be ambiguous in how they tend to cause stress as well as elation; but, Almodóvar takes it to a new level by having the “ghost” of Irene actually personify death.  In addition to her secretive lifestyle, Irene’s sudden return to the lives of Raimunda and Sole brings about the unveiling of dirty family secrets that, until then, had remained dead and buried.  Another interesting character is Agustina – the neighbor who shows more kindness to the family across the street than they show to each other.  For once it was nice to see women actually being supportive instead of trying to tear one another apart at the seams.  But, like I said earlier, this is definitely a film for the ladies.  Who knows, maybe a positive example of kinship might do us some good when it comes to our own female relationships.  Overall, Volver comes across as a type of “coming of age” film for the Spanish director.  By revisiting his past, Almodóvar carries his own personal evolution onto the big screen with the maturity of his latest film.  Outstanding performances, beautiful cinematography, and a haunting score make Volver worth the trip to the theatre.  Although, one thing still bothers me….
In spite of his recent maturity, it’s obvious that Almodóvar still hasn’t outgrown his boyish infatuation with what he calls “the most spectacular cleavage in world cinema.”  His subjective camera is unable to resist gratuitous close-ups of the plunging necklines dominating Penélope Cruz’s wardrobe, even going as far as to blatantly look down her shirt with aerial shots from above.  Sigh…boys will always be boys.  © Kelly Bartley 2006				Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Running Time:	111 minutes
Release Date:	November 3, 2006 (NY/LA); December 22, 2006 (limited)
MPAA Rating:	R (sexual content and language)
Distributor:	Sony Pictures Classics
Language:	Spanish with English subtitles