Returning

My skills at reviewing movies are considerably lacking as you can tell from reading my last movie-related posts. The problem: when I really like a movie, I want to tell everyone every single detail about the film in order to get them interested. And in doing so, give away almost too much of the film, ruining most of the potential moviegoers enjoyment. That's what I will try not to do with regards to Pedro Almodóvar's latest movie, Volver starring Penélope Cruz and Carmen Maura.

Cruz portrays Raimunda, a working-class Spanish woman working a myriad of low-pay jobs and raising her daughter while her slacker husband drinks and loses his job. Raimunda, along with her sister Soledad, also helps to maintain her mother's grave and to watch over her elderly Aunt Paula. After returning home from work one night, Raimunda finds her husband stabbed to deaththrowingng her somewhat orderly life into turmoil and bringing out family secrets and the "ghost" of her mother, killed during a tragic fire many years ago.


Almodóvar seems to have cornered the market on writing strong parts for women and knows how to get the most from his actors. Cruz gives an Oscar-worthy turn to her portrayal of Raimunda, revealing her strengths and weaknesses but never letting us forget that she can find a way to overcome any obstacle in order to protect her family. Carmen Maura's Abuela Irene is charming, funny and as strong-minded as her daughter Raimunda. Blanca Portillo, Lola Duenas and Yohana Cobo round out the cast with fine, strong performances. Almodóvar scatters a few male actors throughout the film (Paco the husband, a restaurant owner and a worker from a film crew), but this film belongs to the women.

One of the best films to be released in 2006, I highly recommend it once it makes it to wider release.

Image from Yahoo! Movies.