Volver - 3 PB Jars!
I don’t think that there is a director working in Hollywood today who can match Pedro Almodovar’s skill in repeatedly delivering beautifully entertaining artistic spectacles. Volver leapt off the screen with arresting visuals and complex characters, straight to the middle of my top 5 of 2006. That's right, Casino Royale is off the list and Volver takes the #3 spot, ahead of #4 Children of Men and #5 The Devil Wears Prada, but still behind #1 United 93 and #2 The Departed.
Volver 's premise is slightly crazy. But, then again, it wouldn't be vintage Almodovar without a wacky over-the-top situation that captivates us with fantasy, yet grounds us with richly developed characters and the depths of human emotion. Raimunda (Penelope Cruz in her best role since Abre Los Ojos / Open Your Eyes) is married to a drunk, who is murdered by Raimunda's daughter Paula after he drunkenly attempts to rape her. Ramunda hides her husband's body in a neighboring restaurant's freezer, which indirectly leads to a new employment opportunity (Interesting fact: this plot is the subject of a joke in Almodovar's earlier film The Flower of My Secret, when the main character is chided for attempting to write a book depicting similar circumstances). In the meantime, Raimunda's sister Sole has seen her and Raimunda's mother, who supposedly had passed away in a fire 4 months earlier. These major plotlines weave throughout the neighborhoods of Madrid as well as a small town in La Mancha. Various neighbors and friends become involved, sometimes for dramatic effect, and often times for comic effect.
It is films like Volver that remind me that a movie is more than witty plot, more than just stylish actors spouting crafted lines. Many times I found myself as captivated by the beauty of the shot as by the plot of the movie itself. Almodovar uses his visuals so effectively, they are as important as any one character. Every shot in the film is beautifully composed in a well thought out manner that contributes to the narrative. Despite depicting some of the worst in human shortcomings (rape, incest, murder, loneliness, abandonment), the film is ultimately a celebration of female strength in spite of these shortcomings. The bright, saturated colors imbue an optimism into even the darkest moments of the film. The cast inhabits their characters rather than acting them. The direction is tight and every scene has a purpose. The cinematography carries the film without obscuring it. In sum, Volver is a perfectly balanced film.
If, like me, you watch Volver and find Almodovar's style captivating and want to discover more, check out Viva Pedro for information on the re-release of many of Almodovar's classics in major-city theatres around the country.
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