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An extremely kind, compassionate and tender film noir, from Spain's most internationally acclaimed filmmaker, might lack some of the suspense his other movies are famous for, but still it keeps the spectator thrilled and anxious until the very last moments. Anyone who likes Almodovar movies should see this one, and you can bring your family along, for a change (kids and grandmas alike).

Indeed, the movie lacks some of the usual Almodovar suspense, and whatever mysteries it contains, are generally solved by the viewer some 20 minutes before they are explicitly and verbally elaborated on screen. It looks like Almodovar lost some of his interest in the telltale part of his movies, paying more attention to acting and emotions. Well, acting is fully worth the shift.

Penelope Cruz is predictably brilliant and gorgeous, but performance by other ladies (from the elderly Chuz Lampreave to teenage Cobo) is also worth applause.

'Volver' starts at a cemetery where the women are cleaning the graves on a windy day. Young mother Raimunda (Cruz), who after attending her mother's grave, finds herself widowed, thanks to her daughter. Her sister, Sole (Lola Duenas) sees a ghost of her dead mother and their battling-with-cancer friend Augustina is in search of her own truth about her mother. Almodovar's colourful canvas is a wonderful portrait of women in Spain. Though it is a colourful portrait, it's dark but somewhat humorous and appealing. Almodovar tells the story in a sensible but somewhat simpler tone. There are some shocking revelations but 'Volver' does not dwell on any one particular incident. It's the story of the women.

Penelope Cruz gives one of her finest performances. It's been evident in her recent film choices (that also include 'Bandidas' that she's experimenting with different roles. As Raimunda, she speaks her mind, she's energetic, she's brave and a risk taker but at the same time she's vulnerable and is hiding a dark 'shameful' secret. Lola Duenas's Sole is a loner (but she loves her sister and niece). She's independent and satisfied with her life. The actress does nothing short of a great job. Carmen Maura is equally great as the 'ghost' bringing lots of laughter but even during Irene's own vulnerable sad moments she is outstanding. Portillo's Agustina, is a quieter lonely character who loves the sisters. The actress skillfully underplays her part and her immense talent is especially evident in the darkly humorous and somewhat sad talk-show scene. Like Almodovar's 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre', 'Volver' is about distinctive female characters and the viewer loves these women and feel involved in their stories.

Like most Almodovar's films, the soundtrack is part of the narration that adds to his slightly weird chaotic world. Similarly, Iglesias's score brings out the richness of the atmosphere created by the wonderful cinematography (thanks to excellent photography). The Spanish streets, the vivacious culture is just presented in Almodovar's unique style.

'Volver' is witty, warm, funny, colourful, disturbing, uplifting and lightly dark with a well told story and lovable characters portrayed wonderfully by the actresses.

I'm not going to tell you what the film is about because what was about for me it may not be for you and one of the many pleasures of the film is to find yourself there. Just let me say that after the Sahara, Vanilla Sky and Captain Corelli's Mandolin's adventures in Hollywood, I had discarded Penelope Cruz as an actress, completely. Well, "Volver" made me swallow my judgment. She is, quite simply, spectacular. A sort of Sophia Loren when Sophia worked with Vittorio De Sica. She is a mass of contradictions and not for a moment she tries to play for sympathy.Her emotion is contagious and makes us comprehend the incomprehensible. Carmen Maura makes a chilling, beautiful and unique entrance into this sublime Almodovar film based on his most scrumptious screenplay. The women stick together for each other's sake, they may even cross unspeakable boundaries for sheer compassion. The film uplifted me in a way that no other film has done in a long, long time.

Volver is a movie centering on women, for the woman.

Volver (pronounced Bol-ber in Spanish) means "Return". The theme "return" revolves around the film. Three generations of women: The granny (Carmen Maura) returning from the dead, the mother Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) returning from her discordant life, and daughter (Yohana Cobo) recovering from abuse from her step father.

Penelope Cruz is colorful and affecting playing Raimunda, probably her best role to date. This role will assure others of her capability to act, napping several Best Actresses nominations to date. She may have lost the Oscars to the Queen, but she won't be just known as the ex-girlfriend of Tom Cruise.

This is a culturally rich movie which brings us to the back alleys of Spain, looking at lives from the rich to the poor. The cinematography is vibrant as well, as the screen is littered with the rich tomatoes, floral dresses and a top-angle view of Penelope Cruz assets. All done on purpose and beautifully definitely.

There are many 'woman' issues – from motherhood, single hood, sister hood, self worth and independence. Male actors are almost non-existence, playing only bit parts and there is no hint of any impending love stories. Perhaps this is also why I didn't identify much with this movie. For the males, do not worry as Volver isn't any soapy melodrama. With its twists and fun, it is still an enjoyable comedy about second chances.

Volver – The women scores, and so does Penelope http://themovieclub.blogspot.com

This is simple story about 3 generations of women: the grandmother Irene(Carmen Maura), her daughters Raimunda (Penélope Cruz)and Sole (Lola Dueñas) and her granddaughter Paula(Yohana Cobo). It takes place mainly in Madrid, in a neighbourhood where various ethnic groups and people from the different provinces of Spain live, people who went to Madrid looking for a better tomorrow. Raimunda, Sole and Paula have to go back to their home town to praise the dead and meet one of their aunts, Tia Paula (Chus Lampreave). Soon the old aunt dies and unleashes a serious of mysterious events, their dead mother re-appears to settle some unresolved issues with her daughters and with her neighbour, Augustina (Blanca Portillo), revealing a past until then unknown. This is movie about the Spanish culture, homesickness, the culture of the death and the struggle of 4 women with strong character and strong personality traits to survive wind, fire and death. It is extremely well produced and has great photography as well as an unmatchable soundtrack. It is a very nice movie, filled with laughter and emotions and with a beautiful simplicity . If you are waiting for a Hollywood romance, a Hollywood comedy or a twisting complex plot, this might not be what you are looking for.

Despite its gorgeous collection of images and a cast whose performances are tremendous across the board, Volver suffers from a reckless and haphazard plot. Almodóvar has a tendency to treat his plot points as if he were a Roman aristocrat in a vomitorium, throwing stuff at us that makes little or no sense within the emotional context of the film, and frequently fails to plane up with our previous understanding of the characters. This is particularly true with the inciting incident, and with the revelation at the movie's conclusion; moments that give birth to the unassailable "what?", "why?", and "why didn't . . .?" and leave us fending for ourselves in our attempts to put details in their proper places. While the plot always succeeds in engaging the viewer, it compromises our ability to treat the film with the seriousness it would otherwise deserve.

EPIC COMEDY If we get to forget the delirious and delicious comedy side of the film, we find an epic story of what the second half of the past century was for so many women in Spain. Moving from the town to the city(from La Mancha to Madrid, from great patio houses full of architectural wisdom to terrific social housing apartments in the suburbs of the city), fighting against the elements(fire that burns down like love, wind that drives you crazy, water that used to fill our rivers and now is gone), having bad luck with men as the only possible fate, exercising companionship, imagination, tenderness and shrewdness as their only weapons for surviving. Keeping dignity untouched inside them.

ACTRESSES Pedro Almodovar in this film is like a top ten chef reinventing the most popular dishes of his own culture! The movie is a tasting menu of the greatest playing actresses with the best possible direction. The wild instinct of Penelope to construct a suburban animal, with strong links to Italian mommas, the touching interpretation of Blanca Portillo, simply mind blowing, the master lesson from Chus Lampreave that fills the theater with rivers of affection, the young actress Yohana Cobo that achieves success in some of the most difficult takes in the film, and Lola Dueñas that gets the plainest part and gives it a huge dimension with high level performance for comedy. And Carmen Maura, that stars the story like a Japanese terror movie star, she is like the Obi-Wan Kenobi of La Mancha.

DENSITY AND GRATITUDE So we have an epic story, great actresses, and a refined comedy that fills the spectator with gratitude, at least that is my case. I just have no defense in front of a film like this, that tells me a great story, makes me laugh, and has the highest detail density in objects colors, comments, views, gestures, references, movements and subplots. That is probably the only trouble with it, more than one view is necessary to catch it all, if possible!

With a lusty, no-nonsense manner to complement her sensual allure, Penélope Cruz seems to be channeling Sophia Loren (especially in Vittorio de Sica's "Two Women") as Raimunda, an airport cleaning woman who finds her life turned upside down by unexpected death, possible ghosts and a thriving restaurant in Pedro Almodovar's 2006 film. A curious mix of absurdist comedy and melodrama with a touch of the surreal, it plays out like a cross between an old Warner Brothers women's picture (like Michael Curtiz's "Mildred Pierce") and de Sica's lighter social comedies from the 1960's (like "Marriage, Italian Style") but with Almodovar's particularly askew perspective and his trademark use of saturated bright colors.

The meandering film focuses on a close group of women, most prominently Raimunda and her timid hairdresser sister Sole, who shuttle between Madrid, where they live, and La Mancha, the central region where they buried their parents who died recently in a fire. Their frail Aunt Paula blithely claims that their late mother Irene has been taking care of her, and sickly neighbor Agustina, who is looking for her own runaway mother, corroborates Paula's seemingly preposterous belief in Irene's presence. However, with an adolescent daughter and a beer-guzzling, unemployed husband to look after, Raimunda has big problems of her own which lead to dire consequences and test her aptitude for self-sufficiency. Meanwhile, Sole gets a not altogether unexpected visitor.

Their stories eventually converge into a revelation that surprisingly lacks the resonance to bring all the plot elements together (probably because the same revelation has been used more effectively in other films). Almodovar's Baroque-level touches are everywhere from the candy-colored palette to the overly convenient plot turns to the attention on Cruz's cleavage and artificially bulbous behind. The elements just seem more contrived within a narrative that lacks the emotional power and propulsive pacing of previous works like "Talk to Her" or the similarly themed "All About My Mother". Regardless, Cruz is a far more interesting actress in her native tongue as she is given a fully dimensional character to play and even a chance to sing (albeit dubbed).

Though somewhat overshadowed by Cruz's buxom presence, the remaining cast is solid with Almodovar regular Carmen Maura a gravitating presence as Irene, Lola Dueñas effortlessly bringing the insecurity out of Sole and Yohana Cabo as Raimunda's unusually becalming daughter Paula. The 2007 DVD is chock full of extras beginning with the engaging if lightweight commentary by Almodovar (with occasional participation from Cruz) spoken in Spanish and subtitled in English. There are more in-depth interviews with Almodovar, Cruz and Maura. There is also the inevitable making-of featurette and a meandering interview between Cruz and a rather smitten Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan at the 2006 AFI Film Festival screening. Almodovar's films are always worth watching, but from my perspective, this is one of his more modest efforts and more of a star vehicle for Cruz.

The screenplay of Almodovar is good but the movie is beautiful because of the incredible cast and crew and moreover, the performance delivered by Penelope Cruz. She is so talented in the movie and particularly, in the scene with the song "Volver" by Estrella Morente. A nice movie to see !

Many thanks to our local Cineworld at Woodgreen for screening Director Pedro Almodovar's latest movie, 'Volver'.

To sum up the film in one word: ¡Excelente! It has a good balance of drama, intrigue, mystery, and humour, with superb acting by all the cast, especially the main protagonists: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Carmen Machi, Pilar Castro, Antonio de la Torre, Yohana Cobo, and Lola Duenas, who play their roles most sensitively.

I went to see the movie yesterday with my youngest daughter, 23. We are a bilingual family, with Spanish as our second language, familiar with the Latin culture, and so were able to get the most out of this beautifully shot film. We would go to see it again, and would have no hesitation in recommending it to both Spanish and English speaking friends! Another plus, we would say, unlike some of Almodovar's renditions, this movie does not offend/shock the 'sensibilidades'.

The only negative thing that I would say, is that it does loose a bit in the translation, and we would ask is that were they to re-do the subtitles, could they please keep the original word 'Mamá' as 'Mamá', and not translate it as 'Mom' - it so regionalises the translation.

Enjoy!

Good film including interesting drama , colorful cinematography , sensitive score and nice interpretations by all Spanish cast . Offbeat black drama/suspense movie about an occupied housewife called Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) becomes involved with family problems . She lives in Madrid with her daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) and her hubby Paco (Antonio De La Torre) , a drunken and violent man . The housewife's spinster sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) is increasingly convinced that their mom has returned from the dead . The two sisters lost their parents in a fire in the village of Alcanfor de las Infantas (La Mancha) , their birth location , years ago . Their aunt, Paula (Chus Lampreave) , still lives in the Mancha and goes on to believe her sister Irene (Carmen Maura) , mother of the two sisters , has returned from the dead as if she were still alive . When the old aunt dies the situation changes and the happenings go wrong . Then , a self-defense murder takes place and Raimunda has to hide the body . Later on , Sole works clandestinely as a hairstylist for women helped by a mysterious person . After that , the movie shifts into a more profound register as the roles haunted by various ghosts are systematically disturbed and the past returns.

Enjoyable film incorporating serious-comic effects about the theme of maternal love , full of feeling , outlandish characters , haunting mood-pieces , Spanish Neo-realism , fun scenes, strange humor , and a totally satisfactory sense of style . The picture deals with mysterious drama , off-the-wall comedy , absurdities familiar , plenty of twists of mystery and suspense and many other things ; featuring a feminist heroine of classical proportions . For the first half , the movie goes agreeable and amiable with flashy brilliance along its jaunty way , pausing for serious thought until when occurs a killing . The picture is pretty well , it turns out to be superior to Almodovar's previous and subsequent entries . Filmmaker piles up on the contrivances , turns and twisted events so that the picture to have success . The result is undiluted scabrous drama , sharp images and a crazy strings of plots . It's a piquant look at lower classes involving twists and an intrigue about killings , disappearance and keeping the spectator intriguing and amazing . Flawless story with a quartet of sensational protagonists , including an unforgettable Penelope Cruz , she parades sexily at her best and more relaxed and enticing than ever . The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching Penelope who gives one of the best screen acting . She sings marvelously a lovely rendition of the Carlos Gardel tango of the movie's title . I liked everyone in the excellent cast, and the male and female actors , especially Penelope Cruz , were all very attractive , she became the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated for Best Lead Actress at the Oscars . According to Pedro Almodóvar, there's only one fake element in Raimunda/Penélope Cruz body : the bottom . He said that this kind of characters are usually big-bottomed people, and that Cruz is just too stylized . Support cast is frankly well such as Blanca Portillo , Yohana Cobo , Chus Lampreave , Pepa Arniote , Antonio de la Torre and other delightfully played roles . Special mention for Carmen Maura , this was first movie of Pedro Almodóvar and Carmen Maura together in 18 years ; heir friendship broke after shooting "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" . Emotive soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias , Almodoval's usual . Glamorous and brilliant cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine . Alcaine was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning and deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen . Alcaine frequently works with Pedro Almodóvar , Bigas Luna and Vicente Aranda , he has photographed a lot of successes .

The motion picture was realized in his peculiar style by Pedro Almodovar ; he often uses symbolism and metaphorical techniques to portray circular story lines though here he directs a special melodrama , including his ordinary touches . Almodovar directs throughout with splendid zip and he usually portrays strong female characters and transsexuals and along his career getting some important international prizes . His first feature film, Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980), was made in 16 mm and blown-up to 35 mm for public release . In 1987, he and his brother Agustín Almodóvar established their own production company : El Deseo, S. A. The "Almodóvar phenomenon" has reached all over the world , making his films very popular in many countries . Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar who made successes such as Labyrinth of passions , Law of desire , Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown , Bad education , All about my mother , Talk to her , Broken embraces , The Skin I Live In and many others . The latest from acclaimed Spanish director , Pedro Almodovar's I'm So Excited (Los Amantes Pasajeros) competing for the inaugural best European comedy honor during the upcoming 26th edition of the European Film Awards ; the latter however , being a flop and badly paced comedy .

I saw this film yesterday and it got me thinking well after I had left the cinema. It made me cry and it made me laugh. It is a choral film where women (as usual with Almodóvar) have the upper hand. I'm not a big fan of Penélope but I must admit she's really up to scratch this time. She has clearly fed on Sofia Loren to come up with the very credible character of Raimunda: tight skirts, high heels and generous cleavage. Carmen Maura and Lola Dueñas are simply magnificent. Also Chus Lampreave as Tía Paula (even in a too-short appearance inspired in Almodóvar's mother) is superb. Almodóvar himself has admitted that this is one of his most personal films, set in his home region of La Mancha and full of memories of his own childhood. Great music too. The moment of the tango ("Volver" by C. Gardel) turned into flamenco really makes you break in goose pimples. However, it is not Penélope's voice, but flamenco-star Estrella Morente's. If you like Almodóvar, you will certainly like this film.

Along with "El Laberinto del fauno" and "Babel", Volver (2006)- written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar tale of family ties, hidden secrets, deaths, and forgiveness is a disappointment for me. One of the most praised and showered with the awards films from last year, "Volver", is IMO dull, non-compelling, and often laughable when supposed to be sweet, moving, and dramatic. I see what Almodovar was trying to do in "Volver". It is his own "Amarcord", his tribute and loving dedication to the women in his life, his admiration for mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts; for eternal femininity as a driving force of life, for women's love, strengths, understanding, and their complicated but caring relationships. "Volver" is above all about the closest, the most tender and most complex relationship two women may have, that of a mother and her daughter, and how far a mother would go to protect her child, her girl who is always a little girl for her no matter how old she is, and how much a mother would regret and blame herself for not having noticed things that would ruin her child's life and forever alter in the most devastating ways the child's love and trust for her mother.

In "Volver" ("To Return" in English), a mother (Irene, played by Carmen Maura) comes from dead to resolve the problems and to settle the affairs she could not finish during her life and by doing so, she would repair and re-vitalize her relationship with her daughters (Penélope Cruz, in an Oscar-nominated performance, and Lola Dueñas in an understated, subtly humorous performance) and her teenage granddaughter (Yohana Cobo, Cruz's daughter).

"Volver" is also the writer/director's love letter to the Italian films of 50th and 60th with the great stars Anna Magniani and Sophia Lauren shining as strong earthy beautiful and sensual women - mothers. It is for that reason, in one of the scenes of "Volver", Irene watches on TV an old movie, "Bellissima" (1951) directed by Luchino Visconti with Anna Magnani as a mother who desperately tries to make her little girl's life better than hers. It is also for the same reason, Penelope Cruz had to put on few pounds for her Raimunda and to use a prosthetic device that artificially enhanced her rear end and widened her hips which along with her huge dark eyes and voluptuous sex appeal made her look like Sophia Loren's of the "Two Women" (1960 ) re-incarnation. I am gladly joining the legion of viewers for whom Cruz was a revelation in her third Almodovar's film. She's never looked more stunning and I am sure that she is a much better actress in Spanish films where she is natural, confidant, comfortable, and commands the screen. "Volver" has been her best achievement s o far. Her Oscar nomination is well deserved as the Cannes Best Actress award to the female ensemble cast is. All performances in "Volver" are above average and deserve the praise.

As for the movie itself, I think Almodovar went too far in his idolizing and idealizing women and depicting all males in the movie as no good, cheating, and abusive evil presence. His verdict for them - they don't deserve to live. Not only that, the men in "Volver" don't even deserve their mysterious disappearances and/or suspicious deaths be investigated properly because nobody seem to care, and the least - Pedro Almodovar. He is too busy to photograph the women kissing each other so often that it becomes irritating and annoying.

While watching the film, another famous European director, no less ambitious with the distinguished style, came to my mind - Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Almodovar has been often compared to Fassbinder because of similar for both directors' approach in creating iconoclastic films with elements of gay and counter culture incorporated into mainstream genres; the films that masterfully combine violence and sensuality, sentimental melodrama and soap opera with dark comedy, and the ambitious use of prime colors. Both directors have made wonderful movies about women. While Fassbinder was able to show his admiration for but never idealization of women, Almodovar was not fully successful in his latest film due to the story which is inconclusive, non-logical, often implausible, and more than often simply non-involving with many plot lines never been resolved, many questions never been answered, and with the ending, abrupt like in the middle of the conversation

For years, I have thought that some of the best movies that I have seen have come from Spain; Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" (which means "return") affirms this. The movie mainly focuses on young Raimunda's (Penelope Cruz) aim of rectifying some mistakes that she's made, but it really goes deeper than that. I could say that it's about life in general, about the human spirit, or something else, but I don't think that I can really do the movie justice by trying to describe it. It's just a wonderful movie (has Almodovar ever made anything less than a wonderful movie?).

Among other things, I would like to say that Penelope Cruz does far better in her native country. In case you thought that she was getting too Hollywood, just check out this one and "Abre los ojos" (remade as "Vanilla Sky"; having seen the original, I see no reason to watch the Hollywood remake, as it looked more like an excuse to show off Tom Cruise). These two will show that Ms. Cruz has done well when speaking her native language.

Anyway, this is a really good movie. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Also starring Carmen Maura.

This is only the fourth Almodovar film I've watched, even though the local DVD rental store has practically all his work readily available! Since Luis Bunuel is my all-time favorite director, it might seem strange that I have stayed away from the most celebrated film-maker to emerge from this country in recent years but who has gradually turned himself into the Spanish Fellini (incidentally, I find the Italian maestro overrated).

Anyway, Almodovar's latest – despite having been nominated for a great number of international awards, winning several of them – is essentially a charmingly humanistic film but, perhaps, too slight to be a masterpiece. Curiously, even if his work often involves crime and assorted transgressions (mercifully toned down here), to my eyes it remains obstinately mundane. The film starts out a ghostly black comedy and, even if eventually abandoning this supernatural territory half-way through, it still satisfies overall. Penelope Cruz is certainly at the top of her game here, and she even gets to sing in one scene; Almodovar regular Carmen Maura is also quite amusing as her troubled mother.

A film by Almodovar- sends a tingle down my spine every time. The capitalized print which opens the Spanish auteur's latest feature instantly induces memories of salacious nuns, gentle necrophiliacs, wisecracking transsexuals…and I haven't even got as far as the infant-terrible's critically reviled early work. And after a beautiful opening montage, with the camera roving across a wind-swept graveyard animated by a hoard of widows feverishly scrubbing tombstones, I thought Pedro had me again under his wicked spell.

Yet once my nostalgia had subsided, there was very little to fill its place. For a director who revels in bringing humanity to assassins and rapists, he does a very poor job at finding any emotional depth or endearing quality in his women. Penelope Cruz is Raimunda, a headstrong housewife whose life is complicated by her daughter's accidental killing of her abusive husband. Thankfully she lives in Almodovar's Spain where your friends will quite happily help to dispose of a corpse for the offer of a round of cocktails. Add to the melting-pot the ghost of Raimunda's mother and a host of other eccentrically warm-hearted matriarchs. "Volver" means literally to return, and Pedro does appear to be recycling old material. The sub-plot of incest feels as though it were tacked-on as the obligatory "taboo". Instead of commenting on or subverting the issue, as with his treatment of paedophilia in Bad Education, it feels forced and unconvincing amid the film's chick-flick sentimentality. I suggest Almodovar call his next film Salir (to move on).