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Volver - Pedro Almodovar
Another great film from this hyper productive and multitalented artist ( I also hear he’s a great writer, well ok, that goes without saying seeing as how he writes most if not all of his scripts ). Here’s how the story goes: Raimunda ( Penelope Cruz ) ,her sister Sole ( played by the wonderful Lola Duenas from Mar adentro ) and daughter Paula go back to their home town to visit with relatives and neighbors and to visit the tomb of their mother who was killed in a fire a few years back. When they return to the city, Paula kills her father in self defense after he tries to fondle her...her mother then tells her he was not her real father, and decides to hide the body. In the meanwhile, their aunt dies and Sole goes back for the funeral. There is talk in the village that the spirit of their dead mother has been seen roaming the village, and their aunt was under the impression that their mother was still alive and taking care of her, but they dismissed it as the ramblings of an old woman gone slightly bonkers... But upon her return,Sole is visited by her mother....
Volver has been deemed Almodovar’s most mature work yet; there are plenty of odd situations and quirky humor, but no eccentric characters ( not excessively so anyway ). Instead , these are just ordinary catholic people, so deeply caught up in traditional beliefs and superstitions that the idea of ghosts haunting their lives is not far fetched to any of them. Almodovar displays the life in a small catholic village with a sort of endearing nostalgia; there is a definite contrast between the lives of the characters in the big city and their quiet life in La Mancha, Almodovar's home, where neighbours still help each other, and where it's perfectly normal to buy and decorate your own grave.
This is not his best film, in my opinion, the cinematography is not as impressive as in Hable con ella and especially La mala educacion. The plot is also a lot simpler and more obvious than La mala educacion, which is not a bad thing in my opinion, it leaves you plenty of time to contemplate the characters and their motives ( unlike the aforementioned film which for me, required repeated viewing ) and simply enjoy yourself. Also, Cruz's powerful persona finally comes out, and it's a damn shame she can't fully express it in her english speaking films...
All in all, a good laugh and a few very powerful moments ( Cruz singing, the scene at the end ), make a film worth viewing...
apples pages with trailer
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Another great film from this hyper productive and multitalented artist ( I also hear he’s a great writer, well ok, that goes without saying seeing as how he writes most if not all of his scripts ). Here’s how the story goes: Raimunda ( Penelope Cruz ) ,her sister Sole ( played by the wonderful Lola Duenas from Mar adentro ) and daughter Paula go back to their home town to visit with relatives and neighbors and to visit the tomb of their mother who was killed in a fire a few years back. When they return to the city, Paula kills her father in self defense after he tries to fondle her...her mother then tells her he was not her real father, and decides to hide the body. In the meanwhile, their aunt dies and Sole goes back for the funeral. There is talk in the village that the spirit of their dead mother has been seen roaming the village, and their aunt was under the impression that their mother was still alive and taking care of her, but they dismissed it as the ramblings of an old woman gone slightly bonkers... But upon her return,Sole is visited by her mother....
Volver has been deemed Almodovar’s most mature work yet; there are plenty of odd situations and quirky humor, but no eccentric characters ( not excessively so anyway ). Instead , these are just ordinary catholic people, so deeply caught up in traditional beliefs and superstitions that the idea of ghosts haunting their lives is not far fetched to any of them. Almodovar displays the life in a small catholic village with a sort of endearing nostalgia; there is a definite contrast between the lives of the characters in the big city and their quiet life in La Mancha, Almodovar's home, where neighbours still help each other, and where it's perfectly normal to buy and decorate your own grave.
This is not his best film, in my opinion, the cinematography is not as impressive as in Hable con ella and especially La mala educacion. The plot is also a lot simpler and more obvious than La mala educacion, which is not a bad thing in my opinion, it leaves you plenty of time to contemplate the characters and their motives ( unlike the aforementioned film which for me, required repeated viewing ) and simply enjoy yourself. Also, Cruz's powerful persona finally comes out, and it's a damn shame she can't fully express it in her english speaking films...
All in all, a good laugh and a few very powerful moments ( Cruz singing, the scene at the end ), make a film worth viewing...
apples pages with trailer