Dir.: Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar's most accomplished work ever, only defied by All About My Mother.

"Do you think the dead come back and watch the living?"

Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca (Hitchcock, 1940)

The answer to this question is no. The supernatural does not exist, only those who believe in it. Rebecca does not actually haunt Manderley. The characters in Rebecca only have their own demons they need to overcome.



The same thing can be said for Pedro Almodóvar's Volver. You can figure out that there is no ghost right from the start and yet, the characters are still haunted. It's been about two years since I first saw this film and I've really struggled to get a handle on it to review it rationally. My instincts told me instantly that this is the work of a master and I just as instantly fell in love with it. But why exactly? Wrapping the mind around that question is perplexing but also goes right to the heart of all that is wonderful about Volver.

The film stars Penélope Cruz as Raimunda, an industrious young woman who juggles an astonishing array of problems with family, friends and work and yet somehow never shows even a hint of self-pity. She just strikes forward, with plenty of humour and seemingly boundless energy. Cruz has never been better. I remember watching the film in the summer of 2006 (Spanish films are still one of the few that I can watch before most of the world) and knowing - just knowing - that an Oscar nomination was destined for her remarkable performance.

We first meet Raimunda at a cemetery, where she is cleaning the graves of her parents, who died four years earlier in a fire. Helping her out is her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) and daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). While there they run into their childhood neighbour Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is tending to her own yet unused grave. The scene is fairly absurd, yet the naturalistic approach of the performers makes it play as perfectly reasonable. Immediately I started wondering if this was supposed to be a period or modern piece as Cruz's clothes and hair invokes the likes of a classical Sophia Loren. Cruz's natural charm and glamour manage to make this not seem like some sort of homage but simply a statement of the obvious: that she really is that stunning.

The film quickly storms through an introduction to the extended family. What follows is the quick dispatching of one of the film's very few men. Raimunda's husband Paco has taken a bit too much of an interest in their daughter, leading to his stabbing at Paula's hands. Raimunda wastes not a second on remorse, instead ordering her daughter to remember that "I killed him," and then figuring out how to clean up and dispose of the body. When a friend comes to the door and interrupts the process, he notices a smudge of blood on Raimunda's neck and asks about it. "Female troubles," she dismissively quips, quickly summing up the role of men in this film. Sure, you could argue the film's view of the sexes is lopsided but considering the overall scorecard in cinema, Almodóvar is more than justified. Considering the fierce personalities of his characters, it's hard to complain. It's not like the men were particularly missed.

Almodóvar has always been an eccentric filmmaker and this one is no exception, although it feels like his most settled and mature work to date. He sprays bright colours, particularly red, across his film with all the subtlety of a fire hose. Odd little details are crammed into all the corners like the rapid fire cheek kisses the women are always exchanging. The first time it seems cute but after about the fiftieth burst of kisses it takes on the air of lunacy. But then those who've met them, will realize that Spanish women really are like that. Similarly lunatic is the tangled history of Raimunda's family, up to and including the reappearance of her dead mother (Carmen Maura) in the trunk of Sole's car.

It's the attention to little details, particularly when they are arrayed in the middle of some seriously weird storylines, that gives the film its sense of authenticity. That surreal reality makes the whole affair feel really grounded no matter how far out Almodóvar takes the story. The uniformly spectacular performances of his cast only further help drive this story through what could easily be a grim series of elements like cancer, death, infidelity, incest and murder with a healthy dose of humour. It takes a confident hand to successfully play such dour subjects for laughs but Almodóvar seems able to breeze effortlessly through it, running everything through his own uniquely odd filter on life.

Almodóvar apparently based Raimunda on his own mother, attempting to capture with this film the feeling of how women talk when the men aren't around. Being a guy I'm not entirely sure if he succeeded or not but I did grow up amongst women too, and it did feel right to me. What he definitely does is explore how people are molded by the circumstances from which they were raised. It's often said that children grow up to behave exactly like their parents, no matter how much they may have reviled their parents' behaviour. Volver (which translates as "to return") shows that cyclical nature and its uglier side. But it gives Raimunda such resolve and determination that she can rush through that and find some sense of peace, hopefully dragging her family along with her.

Probably no other working director, possibly ever, has been more openly admiring and reverent of women as Almodóvar. In this film they are vibrantly alive, seeming ready to explode right off the screen. Particularly in the case of Cruz's impressively displayed cleavage. Almodóvar neither ignores that cleavage nor exploits it. It becomes a part of the film, made mention of for laughs or shot for purpose. It is a rare moment in film where I feel like I can openly appreciate a woman's cleavage and still not feel like I'm leering. But let's not get carried away, this is just a minor element, one I bring up only to highlight how much consideration Almodóvar has given his women characters. Every one of them is well-written and developed, giving his talented cast the best chance make them magical. And if that isn't a reason to love this film, I don't know what the hell is one.

Here's a difficult film to write about. By principle I don't describe plots, no matter what film is concerned, but in this case I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. A mix of Hitchcock's Vertigo, Memento, some 'Lynchian' twists and with the sublime and yes, sometimes unconfortable touch of Almodovar. Unlike what I've read, I wouldn't describe this film as 'shocking', even though there are some delicate subjects. The homosexuality 'thing' obviously prevented this modern masterpiece from having the visibility and accpetance it deserved, unlike other Almodovar films, like Hable Con Ella or Todo Sobre mi Madre (both Oscar winners). However, the sexuality (or homosexuality) is never an inconfortable aspect, the sex scenes are never vulgar or unbearable. Well, except for some homophobic minds of course... Anyway, this film is a direct reflection from someone who actually grew up in the Franco era in Spain, with the strict religious schooling and the child abuse (who normally everyone preffers to ignore or deny).

Pedro Almodovar is one of the few GENUINE filmmakers alive! Fact. He creates stories, by himself, writes and directs them with the same passion and brilliance that he did 20 years ago and will 20 years from now. His passion for Cinema is well shown in Bad Education. It almost has a role of it's own throughout the film. All thumbs up for Gael Garcia Bernal aswell! A brilliant, powerfull performance! Perhaps the best of his career so far. After all, it's not everyday you have the chance to see an actor playing three different characters, all equally brilliant, in the same film.

An important, essential film for a restricted audience...