Film Review
The complex interplay between life and death seems to be a defining
theme in the cinema of Pedro Almodóvar, and never more so than
in his latest film,
Volver.
This is a masterfully composed work in which the Spanish filmaker
explores, with wit, insight and a highly developed sense of irony, the
power that the dead exert over the living. Volver means "return"
and the two main protagonists in this drama have a buried
secret which is about to come back to haunt them with a vengeance,
reminding us that the past is not something we can ever be free
of.
Volver offers the familiar
Almodóvar mix of black comedy and melodrama, but here the tone
is noticeably darker, far more subdued, making this one of the
director's most introspective and naturalistic films to date. One
of the strengths of Almodóvar's films is the extraordinary skill
with which they are photographed and composed. Volver is no
exception, with an inspired use of colour and lighting which cleverly
evokes a psychological landscape that is fraught with inner conflict,
desperation and pent-up emotions. The subtle stylisation lends a
dreamlike quality which gives the film some disturbing undertones,
effectively blurring the edges between reality and imagination.
Volver brings together
Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura and Chus
Lampreave, three talented actresses whom Almódovar fans
will recognise from many of his previous films. The
performances from the female ensemble cast are universally faultless
and were rewarded with the Best Actress Award at Cannes in 2006.
These bring an authenticity and poignancy to a drama which might,
with its obvious plot contrivances and excursions into fantasy, have
gone horribly awry. Once again, Almódovar demonstrates a
natural affinity with women, something that is apparent in many of his
previous films, notably
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
(1988) and
All About My Mother
(1999). When it comes to portraying the neuroses, anxieties,
passions and follies of women, no one does it better than Pedro
Almodóvar.
© James Travers 2009
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Next Pedro Almodóvar film:
Entre tinieblas (1983)
Film Synopsis
Raimunda and Sole are two sisters who live in a poor, working class
district of Madrid. Life is hard for both of them, but they get
by, although both still mourn the loss of their parents, who died
recently in tragic circumstances. Originally, they came from La
Mancha, a windswept region of Spain which is plagued by fires,
superstition and insanity. When their elderly aunt Paula dies
suddenly, Sole takes charge of the funeral arrangements and is
surprised when her sister tells her she is too busy to attend the
funeral. What Sole does not know is that Raimunda has just found
out that her oversexed husband, Paco, has been stabbed to death by her
teenage daughter during an attempted rape. Whilst Raimunda
is deciding how to dispose of the dead body, her sister begins to renew
her acquaintance with her mother, Irene, who has chosen a strange time
to come back from the grave....
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.