Talk about issues! Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) find more trouble than she might be able to handle in this offbeat drama. Her Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) has just died, and her sister, Sole (Lola Duenas) claims to be seeing the spirit of their mom, Irene (Carmen Maura,) who died in a fire years ago.
To add to her misfortunes, a terminally ill family friend (Bianca Portillo) is asking for Raimunda to discover the whereabouts of her mother. Lastly, there's one big problem- her scummy boyfriend Paco (Antonio de la Torre) tried to sexually assault his adolescent stepdaughter (Yohana Cobo,) and is found by Raimunda in a puddle of blood and a knife in his chest. Now all she needs is that empty freezer...
What first appear to be disconnected events slowly come together. Sole feels betrayed believing that Raimunda is selfishly avoiding her aunt's funeral, after being on not-so-close terms with Irene. Raimunda avoids telling her the truth, that she's very busy trying to dispose of Paco's body with the help of a hooker friend, and comforting her daughter after the event.
Meanwhile, a group of filmmakers are trying to get her to fix them a meal from her restaurant (don't worry, Paco does not come into use.) Eventually, family secrets surface and the sister's begin to understand the complexity of the events surrounding her mother's death.
This is the the first film I've seen by director Pedro Almodovar, with "All About My Mother" next on my list. From this film and information about his movies, I take it that he likes women. Not in a sexual way, I hear he's openly gay, but in a way that he likes to focus his screen time on them. "Volver" may quite possibly have a feminist slant, but I think he is probably just used to the female perspective. Could he make a movie about guys if he wanted to? Quite possibly, but the question is irrelevant.
"Volver" is lively and emotional, with so many twists it would put "The Sixth Sense" to shame. Never mind that they're are completely implausible- they're so superbly crafted, and cleverly carried out by the lead actresses, that you are sucked into the film's universe and take them as truth. A couple of the revalations I saw coming, others took me by surprise. This is about women, and may very well be a 'chick-flick,' but it is most likely unlike any chick flick you've ever seen before (Rated R.)
To add to her misfortunes, a terminally ill family friend (Bianca Portillo) is asking for Raimunda to discover the whereabouts of her mother. Lastly, there's one big problem- her scummy boyfriend Paco (Antonio de la Torre) tried to sexually assault his adolescent stepdaughter (Yohana Cobo,) and is found by Raimunda in a puddle of blood and a knife in his chest. Now all she needs is that empty freezer...
What first appear to be disconnected events slowly come together. Sole feels betrayed believing that Raimunda is selfishly avoiding her aunt's funeral, after being on not-so-close terms with Irene. Raimunda avoids telling her the truth, that she's very busy trying to dispose of Paco's body with the help of a hooker friend, and comforting her daughter after the event.
Meanwhile, a group of filmmakers are trying to get her to fix them a meal from her restaurant (don't worry, Paco does not come into use.) Eventually, family secrets surface and the sister's begin to understand the complexity of the events surrounding her mother's death.
This is the the first film I've seen by director Pedro Almodovar, with "All About My Mother" next on my list. From this film and information about his movies, I take it that he likes women. Not in a sexual way, I hear he's openly gay, but in a way that he likes to focus his screen time on them. "Volver" may quite possibly have a feminist slant, but I think he is probably just used to the female perspective. Could he make a movie about guys if he wanted to? Quite possibly, but the question is irrelevant.
"Volver" is lively and emotional, with so many twists it would put "The Sixth Sense" to shame. Never mind that they're are completely implausible- they're so superbly crafted, and cleverly carried out by the lead actresses, that you are sucked into the film's universe and take them as truth. A couple of the revalations I saw coming, others took me by surprise. This is about women, and may very well be a 'chick-flick,' but it is most likely unlike any chick flick you've ever seen before (Rated R.)
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