Volver

Volver ****

"Volver" is Pedro Almodovar's return to the format that made him what he is today: comedies about women and the other women that make them who they are. After spending eight weeks before "Volver" catching up on classic Almodovar's from the past-thanks to the "Viva Pedro" series-one of my favorites was "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." It was a comedy about five women who were all going insane because of one man. And then he trended into darker territory-films about cross dressers, murder, matadors, etc-and it is nice to see him return to lighter fare. The main thing to understand about Almodovar is that he writes about women better than any male writer around. And in an obvious turn, he also has a way of making men out to be total pigs. Nothing is different here.

Almodovar's main woman here is played by Penelope Cruz, a vet of his films. Cruz plays Raimunda, a house wife who is still trying to get over the death of her mother. Raimunda is also dealing with trials and tribulations at home, including a no good husband, and a daughter who is approaching young womanhood. There is also her sister, Sole, a wacky aunt that forgets who her own grandchildren are, and a neighbor Agustina, who is dying of cancer. Raimunda does not realize that her husband looks at his daughter in strange ways, and seems to have a hidden agenda. Her daughter catches on to this, and when her father makes a move on her she stabs him with a knife. Raimunda decides to take the blame for this, and hides her husband's body in a giant freezer. Before she has the chance to bury it, she ends up working in a restaurant that her neighbor closed while he was on vacation. And then there is Sole's story, who is visited by the ghost of her mother. Sole eventually learns that her mother is not really dead, and did not die in an accidental fire years before. She hides the fact from her sister, and does not even let her know about her mothers return at all. To not get people suspicious, she even disguises her mother as a Russian hairdresser, working for her as part of her home business.

It is very difficult to really explain what "Volver" is about, because so much stuff happens. It is just like life-just one thing after another. The story does not even matter, in the end, because it is really about family, and a celebration of being together-even though there are rocky waters throughout. It also seems to say that men suck, considering that the only male that appears in the film is killed twenty minutes in, and there is never another one at all. At least not one very important. And while it seems that not much happens, "Volver" is engrossing throughout, and never made me wonder about the time. The visuals are striking and beautiful, with every shot obviously given extreme thought and time. One that was even creepy was the first shot of their mother, who was dressed in white and had long grey hair. Her ghostlike quality really did give me the willies. All of the women are stunning, even Cruz who I normally don't have many thoughts about. And it was fun to see Carmen Maura back in an Almodovar( for those that don't know, she was the star of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.")

"Volver" is a Spanish word that means, literally, to return. "Volver" is indeed about the return of a figure from the past that Raimunda and Sole thought they would never see again, but it is also the return of Almodovar. While he is often known for his wild characters, extreme storylines, and dark plots, he became famous because of his fascination with women. It's interesting to see his return to this style after so many years, and to compare the old with the new. "Volver" is much more accessible to Americans, and while it is not the best Almodovar ever, it is a great introduction if you have never seen a film of his before. They deserve to be seen in the theatre, and "Volver" seems to have the mass appeal that could get you there. It's family values are good to practice, and it has such a biting dark sense of humor, sometimes slightly reminiscent of the classic screwball comedies of the past. The gimmick with the mother pretending to be a hairdresser is a perfect example of this. "Volver" is tragic, hilarious, and warms the heart. There is simply nothing quite like a female Almodovar character-a woman stronger and more real than you can ever imagine. A must have for Almodovar fans, and a must see for those who never saw him before.