Volver

Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, Volver, is a charming tapestry of strong female characters. At its center is the blackly comic tale of Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) who is dealing with murder, ghosts, cancer, cooking, cleaning and other types of tone shifting troubles. Details are best left unsaid as this is an unexpectedly twisty comedy that bleeds together humor, family drama, and mystery. The plot morphs more than once during the film, making what was previously unimportant suddenly vital and what had been the central plot merely an afterthought. This messiness of story is perhaps the movie’s only flaw. Yet, I doubt it is in any way an oversight on the part of Almodóvar. He is clearly more dedicated to the warm whimsy and undeniable strength of these women than counteracting potential loose ends.

Penélope Cruz displays an unforeseen amount of talent here after slumming in American action adventures for some time. She proves to be quite a comic spitfire as well as a riveting dramatic actress. Like most of the women in the film, Raimunda is dealing with problems greater than anyone could know. Cruz is excellent at making the character outwardly aggressive and charismatic but keeping pain always visible just behind her pleasant eyes. The same could be said for the entire cast of female actresses. They each express a beautifully subtle balance of strength and vulnerability

Volver is a fascinating portrait of ordinary women whose lives are deceptively simple. Almodóvar brilliantly places the film’s greatest violence in the kitchen and its most mysterious character in a housedress. It’s as if we’re seeing the challenges, the peril, and the strain of the every day lives of these nurturing female characters amplified to a level of brutality and danger that even the dullest viewer can recognize. The movie seems designed to stress that everyone has intense problems. However average or unremarkable a person may seem, there is surely something darker going on beneath the surface. These women have unknown pasts and dire life struggles, but they appear to be content and normal people. Their brilliance is that you’d never know the truth about them if you didn’t take a closer look.

Grade: A-