REVIEW: Volver [2006]

Rating: R | Runtime: 121 minutes
Release Date: March 17th, 2006 (Spain) / January 26th, 2027 (USA)
Studio: Warner Bros. / Sony Pictures Classics
Director(s): Pedro Almodóvar
Writer(s): Pedro Almodóvar

A vision of forgiveness beyond the grave.

I now can say I have seen a Pedro Almodóvar film on film in the theater. Sure I saw five of the eight films included in ¡Viva Pedro!, but those were dvd projections while Volver was the real thing (as evidenced by it catching fire and causing the six or so of us watching to wait a bit before seeing the final twenty minutes).

I will admit, while enjoying Pedro’s lighter, earlier fare, it is the dramatic and dark films I really have an affinity for. Carne trémula and Hable con ella are brilliant movies that left an indelible mark on me once they concluded. Volver has moments of true emotional resonance, but there’s a bit too much playfulness and an inconsistent tone that prevented it from being the masterpiece most critics are calling it—for me at least.

I was captivated by the performances and the seemingly slight storyline as I tried to figure out where it was going. A lot goes on that, while pulling a Usual Suspects twist, really proves to be a series of MacGuffins. Similar to that movie, Volver proves a great 180-degree flip at the end does not make a great film out of the hour and a half beforehand. Pedro definitely has something here. And while it’s a very good film, I just didn’t quite seem to know how serious to take it.

Even if the film was utter garbage, I would still have given it a good rating based on the phenomenal performance by Penélope Cruz. She has always been panned as an English-speaking actress, yet hailed as one of the best when in her native tongue. It’s true—I have not seen a really great role from her in English (Vanilla Sky was good, but knowing that she was in the Spanish original, I have to hold judgment until seeing Abre los ojos) while the foreign movies show her as a much more confident and skilled professional.

Both times seeing Cruz in her natural element were in Pedro films. Unlike Carne trémula and Todo sobre mi madre, where she played somewhat shy women who relied upon their friends, she has an almost sexual awakening from those previous roles in Volver. One could say this film is a vehicle for Cruz’s gorgeous figure as much as the story being told. She’s simply beautiful throughout, and it’s that beauty and self-assuredness that makes the touching moments of poignancy more effective. She goes through all emotions here, and I believe if Pedro allowed the film to stay true to the dramatic elements rather than playing some serious moments as comedic, her performance would have elevated even higher.

The supporting characters do great work too. Lola Dueñas is great as the sister whose secret knowledge of their mother’s return from the afterlife constantly keeps her on her toes. Her facial expressions are priceless when trying to keep her stories straight with her sister and hairstyle customers. With her role here and in the fantastic Mar adentro, (coincidentally directed by Alejandro Amenábar, who helmed the aforementioned Abre los ojos), I really hope more of the hugely successful Spanish directors today utilize her immense talents.

As for the ghost of a mother, Carmen Maura—Pedro’s former muse—returns. She plays the part perfectly where you can never quite see if she is a ghost or really there. Her comedic timing is precisely on the mark each instance needed, but I again feel that it would have been better used in a different film. I also must mention Chus Lampreave with her distinctive voice and delivery, shining again in a small role. Almost every Pedro film I’ve seen has her involved.

My review might seem a bit harsh, but let me say I really enjoyed the film. It is just the knowledge of what Almodóvar can do with a dramatic piece of work that makes me think of how much more the movie could have been. No one does female-driven stories of family, love, and grief better, and it is just a shame many Americans don’t have a clue about him. Hopefully Pedro will never sellout and do an English language film unless it’s necessary for the story; he’s too good at showing the culture of his home country of Spain. I have no clue if what he displays is true Spanish culture, but the opening scenes, with the tombstone cleaning, the funeral stories, and the non-stop kissing-greetings, make me feel totally surrounded by this foreign land.