Movie Review: Volver

It's easy to see why Volver is generating buzz as part of the Official Selection in Cannes this year. Almodóvar has turned in a fascinating family portrait full of colourful characters, engaging drama and moving revelations.

As the title indicates, this is a story about returning to one's roots. After her death, a mother (Carmen Maura) follows her offspring from her hometown to Madrid in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life. Her ghost slowly becomes a comfort to one of her daughters (Lola Dueñas) and grandchild (Yohana Cobo). Meanwhile her second headstrong daughter Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) is having to deal with the sudden murder of her husband. Unaware of her mother's return, she finds herself stuggling to cope with the cards she has been dealt, relying on the kindness of neighbours and strangers. Incest, abuse, poverty and death are some of dark themes running through the story, but it's the healing power of motherhood and family ties that eventually shines through.

Volver is a homecoming of sorts for both the director, who shot the film in his childhood home of La Mancha, and for actresses Carmen Maura and Penelope Cruz. The former hadn't worked with the Spanish filmmaker since being his muse in the 80's. The latter's last collaboration with Almodóvar dates back to 1999. In between, Cruz has been seen in a series of bad Hollywood films and tabloid photo spreads.

Returning to Spain has proved an excellent career move: her performance in Volver is luminous. As an actress, it's incredibly difficult to outshine the cast in an Almodóvar picture, especially one where men are absent and women are godesses. As Raimunda, Cruz seems to be literally lit from within, bathing the characters she comes in touch with in her warmth.

Volver is filled to the brim with beautifully constructed scenes of rich dramatic intensity, acted out on a lush backdrop of colourful, inventive set design. As usual, the score by Alberto Iglesisas adds discreet layers of texture to the story, building to a musical and emotional climax, here taking the form of a classic number by Flamenco queen Estrella Morente.

What impresses me most with Almodóvar is the peerless writing, which manages to be clever and infused with a generous humanity all at the same time. Like or All About My Mother before it, Volver is a densely-plotted film full of twists and turns, mixing elements of thriller, melodrama and comedy, yet managing to land rather elegantly on its feet by the time the credits roll.