Volver

Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 2006, 121 minutes

One of Almodovar's most entertaining films in years, Volver is something of a tongue in cheek homage to the melodramatic family farces (albeit with the glorious cinematography of his last few films) that made him famous.

Raimunda (Penelope Cruz in glorious Spanish hyper speed) returns to her family home with hairdresser sister Sole (Lola Duenas) and Raimunda's teenage daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) after their mysteriously capable senile aunt dies. Little do they realise that as they pack home cooked goodies and sentimental family ephemera home, their deceased mother (glorious Almodovar favourite, Camen Maura), also decides to sneak into the family car to keep an eye on her daughters. And with a body in one of their fridges, a fleeting business opportunity and some tax dodging home hairdressing she has plenty to keep herself occupied!

Hard to describe though it is, Volver is another in a long line of great films from Almodovar but it's particularly wonderful to have a reunion of fabulous actresses and supremely trashily camp sets and costumes. Maura plays the naughty old dead Irene with total glee but the real revelation of the film is to be reminded of just how incredibly good an actress Penelope Cruz is when given a half decent script and, to be honest, the chance to act it in her native language. Cruz is at once sexy, ridiculous, enormously believable and very funny in a way that only Almodovar ever seems to manage to coax out of her (and all with Cruz dressed not in couture but in awesomely trashy budget attire!).

A zingy, life-affirming, believably weird and deliciously dark confection, this is the most warmly human story of murder, sexual assault, ghosts, the redemptive powers of hungry film crews and friendly local prostitutes you will see this year!

Review by Nicola Osborne and Heather McCluskey
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2007