Volver
2006 Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Synopsis
Revolving around an eccentric family of women from a wind-swept region south of Madrid, Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) is a working-class woman forced to go to great lengths to protect her 14-year-old daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). To top off the family crisis, her mother Irene (Carmen Maura) comes back from the dead to tie up loose ends.
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I would personally like to thank Julie for recommending me this little gem. It takes awhile to get going, but when it did I was engaged from beginning to end. Penelope Cruz does an outstanding job leading a cast filled with excellent performances. The story is very unique and captivating and the actors performances help give it an emotional edge that pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's pretty brilliant throughout, especially thanks to the superb direction from Pedro Almodovar who I'm slowly becoming a big fan of. I don't want to give away too much and I encourage you to go into this knowing as little as possible so I'll say this is a wonderful film worth watching.
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30 Days 30 Countries Challenge; Day 8-Spain
Volver is a quirky little dramedy with a little bit of a dark side to it. It doesn't shy away from the twisted elements of it's plot, but it instead focuses on the lighter and more endearing emotions that result from the darkness. Tonally, it reminded me a lot of 2011's The Descendants, minus all of the rich as fuck white people.
The sentimental moments work pretty well, and the movie is good at pulling emotions out of the viewer. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Penelope Cruz is really good at looking like she is on the verge of bursting into tears at any given second, and…
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Having loved most of Almodovar’s earlier films, I seemed to have drifted from the later ones. It seemed they would be a little too camp, a little too much about mummy and so I haven’t seen any recently and was not inclined to see this, even if Penelope Cruz was always staring up at me from my favourite film guide. Then, returning from a long weekend in Madrid, I took a chance. And a good job too - what a joyous, funny, life enhancing film it is. And so very Spanish. The women trying to do everything within the new found freedom following the death of Franco and the men not quite adjusting so well, still perhaps expecting them to…
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Another piece I wrote in 2006:
For a film that tells the tale of a mother (Maura) returning from the dead to comfort her daughter, Raimunda (Cruz) through a stream of personal tragedies, Volver is perfectly titled. By rough translation it means to come back, and beyond the obvious reference to the plot, Volver is the film that has brought Almodóvar back to his birthplace of La Mancha. It also marks the first time in almost twenty years that the maestro and his one time muse, Carmen Maura have worked together; it brings Almodóvar back to a predominately female ensemble cast; and in many ways it is a resounding return to form.Volver is a film that has been waiting…
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Very much enjoyed revisiting this movie...Penelope is gorgeous.
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Es la primera pelicula que miré de Almodóvar y me encantó. Seguramente voy a mirar sus otras peliculas pronto. A ver si son tan lindas como esta.
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Bit obsessed with Penelope Cruz.
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One of Penelope's better roles, a somewhat gritty and captivating story of a woman's life in Madrid and moreover the spanish speaking world.
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The movie starts out slow as we get to know each character but the wait is worth the while as we see the character development and how the secrets unravel before us. Almodovar does a great job intertwining comedy and drama as the plot thickens. I really liked the suprise twist near the end of the film. This film is a Spanish version of The Sixth Sense in reverse and without all the psychological scares since this movie was more about character development than chills. Penelope Cruz is excellent in this film and her oscar nomination was well deserved. I enjoyed watching this film and how the story unfolds. Great Spanish film.
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Thumbs up.
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Part of the Around the World in 30 Days: A 30 Days, 30 Countries Challenge
Film #7: Spain
Volver is a family drama that starts and ends with many shocking plot twists. Just when you think that things couldn't get any more fucked up, it does. But at its core, it's about family ties and Almodóvar explores the dysfunctional relations and the consequences of their actions on the family.
It's hard to partake in much discussion of the film without spoiling it. Great performances from the female ensemble cast, who deservedly won the Cannes film prize. It's an excellent film, no doubt, but there's something missing that elevates it to masterpiece level. There's nothing negative that I can say about…
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class movie. Penelope at her best
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30 Days 30 Countries Challenge; Day 8-Spain
Volver is a quirky little dramedy with a little bit of a dark side to it. It doesn't shy away from the twisted elements of it's plot, but it instead focuses on the lighter and more endearing emotions that result from the darkness. Tonally, it reminded me a lot of 2011's The Descendants, minus all of the rich as fuck white people.
The sentimental moments work pretty well, and the movie is good at pulling emotions out of the viewer. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Penelope Cruz is really good at looking like she is on the verge of bursting into tears at any given second, and…
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Solid Almodovar film with some good performances. Although the score was manipulative and occasionally Almodovar can border on the ridiculous and the unrealistic.
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Es la primera pelicula que miré de Almodóvar y me encantó. Seguramente voy a mirar sus otras peliculas pronto. A ver si son tan lindas como esta.