Pedro Almodóvar "returns" in fine form here with this joyously multi-layered, circular, family bonding experience taking place in his home country of Spain as expressed in a way only the larger then life filmmaker has become accustomed to rendering. Painting an undeniably personal portrait of a burdened group of relatives untangling the deep, dark and mysterious web that has divided the group for several decades, Almodóvar brilliantly works into the impressively developed script wonderful amounts of engaging subplots, finely tuned and morbidly enchanting dark humor, and a side helping of personality that will have you falling in love with the esteemed ensemble cast.
Obviously it is the well received work of Penélope Cruz, never looking more smoldering, that anchors the film with an enchanting bitterness hiding a more enchanting vulnerability. Nearly a love letter to the physical beauty of the actress herself, Almodóvar shoots Cruz in a most flattering light, complimenting her wonderful physique while hardly feeling cheap. Cruz would have undoubtedly shined less however if it was not for the tremendous supporting cast she has been given to flesh out this entertaining and rewarding glorified soap opera. The four or five main female actresses that make up the immediate family that revolves around Cruz's character are so well casted and written that each viewer will probably gravitate towards a different persona. It is when all these striking personalities come together in the natural manner that Almodóvar can capture that the film's gifts really shine through.
Volver is good, very very good, but something does elude this film from realizing greatness. Perhaps it is the unique synthesis of genres, ranging from dark comedy to cultural drama, that somehow hampers the work from achieving a unified goal. Or maybe it is the heavy shifting between focal points that somehow muddies the film's touching final theme (though to the script's benefit, all different aspects are wonderfully interwoven by the end). Whatever it is, the film that could practically have been titled "All About My Mother, part 2", yields dozens of plentiful scenes rife with a feminine sensitivity that most likely could not be more effectively portrayed by most other directors, Spanish or otherwise.
Obviously it is the well received work of Penélope Cruz, never looking more smoldering, that anchors the film with an enchanting bitterness hiding a more enchanting vulnerability. Nearly a love letter to the physical beauty of the actress herself, Almodóvar shoots Cruz in a most flattering light, complimenting her wonderful physique while hardly feeling cheap. Cruz would have undoubtedly shined less however if it was not for the tremendous supporting cast she has been given to flesh out this entertaining and rewarding glorified soap opera. The four or five main female actresses that make up the immediate family that revolves around Cruz's character are so well casted and written that each viewer will probably gravitate towards a different persona. It is when all these striking personalities come together in the natural manner that Almodóvar can capture that the film's gifts really shine through.
Volver is good, very very good, but something does elude this film from realizing greatness. Perhaps it is the unique synthesis of genres, ranging from dark comedy to cultural drama, that somehow hampers the work from achieving a unified goal. Or maybe it is the heavy shifting between focal points that somehow muddies the film's touching final theme (though to the script's benefit, all different aspects are wonderfully interwoven by the end). Whatever it is, the film that could practically have been titled "All About My Mother, part 2", yields dozens of plentiful scenes rife with a feminine sensitivity that most likely could not be more effectively portrayed by most other directors, Spanish or otherwise.