The Best Movies of the 21st Century (No 21): VOLVER (2006)
Pedro Almodovar stands as Spain’s most celebrated filmmaker- an auteur with a distinctive vision. I love his work. He was born in 1949 in the impoverished La Mancha region and arrived in Madrid at the age of 18 during the final years of the Franco dictatorship. Franco had closed Spain’s film schools and Almodovar educated himself by making Super 8 films that became legendary through underground screenings. His career flourished during the cultural renaissance that exploded after Franco’s death in 1975- an intense burst of creativity that liberated Spanish artists after years of repression.
The “Almodovar Phenomenon” has an unmistakeable stamp. He is melodramatic and infuses his movies with irreverent humour, primary colours, glossy decors and complex human narratives. Desire, passion, motherhood and issues of identity dominate his deeply personal cinema. His films are distinguished by their celebration of women- mothers, daughters, sisters, nuns, sex workers- all rendered with empathy and psychological depth rarely seen in male directors. His masterworks include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which earned his first Oscar nomination; All About my Mother which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1998; Talk to Her for which he won the Oscar for Best Screenplay and Bad Education, a searing examination of sexual abuse by Catholic clerics which earned over 40 million dollars despite an NC-17 rating.
Volver arrived in 2006. It was shot in his native La Mancha and is a personal and artistic homecoming. It is his most personal film and is a tribute to his mother and a community of resilient woman who raised him in the windswept pueblos of rural Spain. The title means “To Return” and the firm embodies Almodovar’s return to his birthplace and the fiercely matriarchal world of secrets, alliances and female solidarity that shaped his imagination. He reunites with Penelope Cruz after her 7 year hiatus in Hollywood. The film triumphed at Cannes where its received two major awards- Best Screenplay and Best Actress. Cruz became the first Spanish woman ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Critics universally praised the film and Sight and Sound named it the second best film of 2006. The Guardian later ranked it 46 in its list of the 100 best films of the 20th Century and the New York Times place it #80. I liked it even better than they did.
Volver is a celebration of Almodovar’s maturity- from provocateur to humanist. It reminded me of Fellini’s Amarcord in its fanciful revisiting of childhood. He expertly combines genres- the movie is a Hitchcock like thriller, a ghost story, a screwball comedy- all woven into an organic whole. BRILLIANT! The film treated dark subjects like murder, incest and sex abuse, but still managed to be warm and humorous. Volver must be understood as a representation of Almodovar’s obsession with the idiosyncrasies of Spanish culture. Growing up surrounded by woman in La Mancha - his literate mother read letters to her neighbours, women gathered in patios and courtyards sharing gossip and secrets, Almodovar absorbed a uniquely feminine worldview. His cinema is a love letter to the women survivors, storytellers, protectors who manage in harsh patriarchal world. In Volver, men are largely absent and those we see are either villainous, dilettantes or dead. The women respond by forming mutual bonds of support. Almodovar’s Spain is one where women outwit and outlive men, where ghost stories are real, where women tend to graves as if keeping house for the dead and where secrets protect as much as they wound. ASTOUNDING!
A special tribute to Penelope Cruz’s performance. She is awesome- gorgeous and powerful and she dominates every frame she is in. She is earthy, fierce, smart and maternal and she commands the screen in her native Spanish. She was wasted in superficial Hollywood productions where directors failed to capture her intelligence or depth. When she sings “Volver” in the restaurant, she embodies the film’s soul. The ensemble of female actresses surrounding Cruz was also formidable and the cast was a community of artists working at the highest level.
Three generations of fascinating women make Volver a must see movie. There is intrigue, secrets, conspiracy and profound study of human nature. The movie is artistic and compassionate and is a complete triumph. It is rollicking, spirited, spiritual and thought provoking and confirmed Almodovar’s status as one of our essential filmmakers. Stream it!
