Volver

Pedro Almodóvar is one of Spain’s foremost directors, and for good reason. It’s hard not to watch his films without thinking of Alfred Hitchcock, as both are masters of gradually building suspense, while carefully balancing it with comedy. It was a rule to which Hitchcock firmly adhered: break the tension with a few occasional laughs or else the audience will not be able to withstand it. Granted, Almodóvar works a little differently. His comedy is more abundant, and his suspense builds much more subtly, but the idea is essentially the same. Volver is one of Almodóvar’s best—and least eccentric—films to date, and is especially refreshing after the disappointing Bad Education. It stars Penélope Cruz (who is absolutely sensational!) as Raimunda, an unhappily married wife and mother of a single teenage daughter, Paula. One day Raimunda arrives home and finds her sleazy husband’s body on the kitchen floor, having just been murdered by Paula for making sexual advances, and she takes it upon herself to cover up the crime. Meanwhile, Raimunda’s mother—who was supposedly killed in a tragic fire several years ago—suddenly appears to Sole, her other daughter, and begs her to keep the truth of her return from Raimunda for very mysterious reasons. The story may sound cryptic, but the film isn’t in the slightest. Almodóvar guides many of the scenes to moments of utter hilarity, and in the end Volver, as creepy as it seems, turns out to be one of the lighter films in the director’s increasingly bizarre repertoire.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar.
Written by Pedro Almodóvar.
Starring Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo and Antonio de la Torre.

Rated R for some sexual content and language. 121 min.

**** so says The Fish