It is a collective act of devotion, of civic pride and maybe (from what we learn later in the film) of atonement. Volver begins with a tracking shot through the cemetery in a Spanish village, as dozens of widows polish the tombstones of their late husbands. The second time, not expecting a masterpiece, I found a film that pleased, impressed and touched me a fully satisfying comedy-melodrama about the burden of motherhood, the power of sisterhood.
#Volver pedro almodovar summary movie
I saw the movie again at the public screening. I had no definitive verdict to offer, so I did something I don't usually allow myself at a festival, where there is so much to see and write about. The feeling was that Pedro was not working at his usual masterpiece altitude. Yet the mood at the critics' screening of the film was not one of respect, not awe. So this year, with his brand-new Volver, he was an early favorite to cop the top prize. Best Director for All About My Mother was the best he'd done. Bad Education (2004), slipping a story of sexual exploitation into a labyrinthine framework of a film-noirish narrative, was another knockout.įor all his laurels (including a Best Screenplay Oscar for Talk to Her), Pedro, as all call him, had never won a Cannes Palme d'Or. All About My Mother (1999) and Talk to Her (2002) are a pair of flat-out masterpieces, the first of which was a finalist for Richard Schickel's and my all-TIME 100 Movies list, the second of which graced it. His films mix deeply emotional stories soap operas elevated to art with sensational performers (usually actresses) and a visual style both exuberant and perfectly controlled. In his 26-year career as a feature-filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar has compiled an imposing track record that, I'd say, can't be matched by any contemporary director. And, like so much else, the joy is not in the telling of the story but in the journey itself.Follow the worst thing a good movie can have in advance is the expectation it will be a great one. It's a celebration of overcoming the drama that can tear apart a family. While it never reaches the emotional heights - or depths - of his 1999 masterpiece "All About My Mother", "Volver" is by turns moving and deeply joyous. There is so much to the film that I'm leaving to Mr. It's important to note that I've only covered about the first fifteen minutes or so of "Volver".
When, back in Madrid, Raimunda's good-for-nothing husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) loses his job, setting in motion a tragic chain of events, watch as Mr. She's positively radiant as Raimunda and she takes control of the screen and the role. Cruz is able to let loose like we've never seen before. Happily freed of those crucial Hollywood missteps ( "Vanilla Sky", "Sahara", Tom Cruise), Ms. But this movie belongs to Raimunda and, in the role, Penélope Cruz has never been better. Lola Dueñas (from "The Sea Inside") is wonderful as the timid Sole, and Blanca Portillo is quietly memorable as Agustina. Almodóvar's love of all things female has led him to put together a flawless cast. Also along for the ride is Raimunda's young daughter (the charming Yohana Cobo), whose obsession with her cell phone will be instantly recognizable across any language barrier. The bond between the women is palpable and the way they greet each other with multiple cheek-kisses is beyond endearing. There they meet up with childhood friend Agustina whose own mother disappeared mysteriously years ago. I don't want to give away too much about the plot of "Volver", since half the fun is watching it unfold, but here's a taste: to visit their ailing Aunt Paula, two sisters, Raimunda and Sole, now living in Madrid, return to the small pueblo where they grew up and where their parents died in a tragic fire.
The director positively transports us into his unique vision of a Spain filled with bright colors, no-nonsense women and family melodrama.
#Volver pedro almodovar summary full
From the wonderful opening tracking shot of a cemetery full of women madly scrubbing tombstones in a windstorm, it's clear that we're in classic Almodóvar country. Almodóvar's mood has lightened considerably. Having apparently exercised the demons that brought about his meditative noir, "Bad Education", Mr. All the Almodóvar trademarks are here: mother-daughter issues, unworthy men and, of course, an almost entirely female cast. It's appropriate that the title of Pedro Almodóvar's film "Volver" translates as "to come back" since it signals a return to the kind of whimsical Spanish soap operas that the famously female-centric director does best.
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