BRAVO! Penelope Cruz can really act and sing... (Volver (DVD))

Member Name: curious_tan

Product:	Volver (DVD)
Date:	19/09/06 (2432 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Perfectly directed with exceptional group of women talents

Disadvantages: None except that you are encourage to watch it again

Title: Volver (Return)
Director: Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
Cast: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Chus Lampreave
Production: El Deseo D.A. S.L.U.
Distribution & Sales: Pathe Distribution & Focus Feature International
Running Time: 121 mins., subtitled, R15
Merits: Winner of Best Screenplay Award and Best Actress Award, Cannes Film Festival 2006; Film of the year, San Sebastian International Film Festival (Spain)

“A gripping return to form… the twists are delicious… the women are a sassy joy” – THE TIMES

**********
THE past two weeks were really toxic and tiring days. I had my annual progress report presentation, unplanned move to a new flat, and a long postgrad workshop. Having that and giving myself a time to chill out, I decided to watch a film in a widescreen just after my workshop at Queens Film Theatre in Belfast. The theatre features selected international productions from Romania, France, USA, Australia, Norway and Canada, and Spain between Sept and Oct. I do love movies and if there is an opportunity to attend these film festivals, I will really fix my schedule to make sure that I could watch all the films featured in the festival. So after reading the film guide flyer and without any hesitation, I decided to settle with ‘Volver’ – a Spanish production and Penelope Cruz in the cast.

Frankly, I don’t have any idea about the Spanish director and the rest of the cast, except for Penelope whom I had a crush on her since I have seen her first Hollywood starring role. The last time I have seen her was in the movie ‘Sahara’ and of course during those happy times together with Tom Cruise.

The enthusiasm to watch ‘Volver’ (Return) is also driven by the fact that it is dubbed in Spanish (with English subtitle) and I have this burning desire to test my understanding of the language considering that my home country was colonised by Spain for almost 300 years and the Spanish course/module is also incorporated in our tertiary curriculum. Consequently, 50-60 percent of the words in our national language and some dialects are derived from Spanish which I could proudly say that even without the subtitle, I will be able to understand and enjoy the film from start to finish.

**THE STORY
This is a tale of two sisters: Raimunda (Penelope) and Sole (Lola). Raimunda is married, working fulltime in a restaurant and has a teenage daughter; and while Sole is still single - struggling with her beauty parlour business.

The twist started with the sisters visited their ailing Aunt (their dead mother’s sister) in the village. Despite the health condition of their Aunt, it seems that she could still manage to live by herself which somewhat a puzzle to the sisters, particularly to Raimunda which she tried to convince the old lady to live with her and her daughter. This is also aggravated by the rumour circling the village as told by a close friend, Agustina that their deceased mother appeared to their aunt which also shows a little bit concern of their aunt’s mental condition. But as a superstitious belief, that if someone who passed away and reappeared to family members has something important and unfinished matter to tell that hinders her spirit to move on.

Eventually when Raimunda’s aunt died, it unravelled a dark secret that she is harbouring for almost 14 years. Unfortunately, this also the time when she is in the middle of crisis: to cover-up an accident for the sake of her daughter’s safety; the sudden cancer illness of Agustina - pleading Raimunda’s help to find the answer of the former mother’s disappearance; and at the same time breaking the trust of the owner of the restaurant where she is working. On the other hand, Sole finally encountered the ghost of their mother ( during their aunt’s wake in the village. Surprisingly, she could not believe that their mother is raised from the dead and standing in front of her while; and followed her holding some of the valuable personal stuffs of their aunt. Having overcome her fears, Sole admittedly believe that their mother is alive after those years of mourning, guilt and betrayal.


**FILM ANALYSIS
This is really a heart-warming drama sliced with humour and suspense, effectively mixed together to come up with an effective story of secrecy, sorrow, shame, and solace. The director, Almodovar proves his ability as a film-maker to create a densely plotted story full of twists but artistically directed to mix these cinematic elements into a powerful screenplay. Despite having shady and pessimistic themes of abuse, incest, lust and death, the film successfully demonstrated the celebration of ‘women power’ and the ‘healing power’ of family.

Cast***
The movie is indeed a true revelation of Penelope’s fine performance. Her portrayal as Raimunda - being a hardworking and energetic woman, a loving mother to her young daughter, and an adorable sister to Sole provided a venue for Penelope to prove her acting prowess, including her singing ability too. There were scenes in the film that Penelope perfectly showed her witty, candid but solemn character which successfully reflected through her facial expression (especially her impressive eyes) and body movement. Every bit of the scenes during the party in the restaurant where she openly volunteered herself to sing to the guests was really memorable and touching occasion! Watching her singing with teary eyes while looking at her sister and daughter can really melt a human’s frozen heart and join her sadness and regrets – reflecting the dark side of her younger years. This scene somehow relates to the title of the film itself – flashback of her awful memories. On the funny side, her conversations with her friends in the neighbourhood are comical but with a sense of seriousness and frankness.

Aside from Cruz’s performance, the role of Lola Duenas as Sole could not to be ignored. Quite different from Raimunda, she is demure and timid with much of a less ambitious typical village lady. Her character is really blended completely with her sister and her mother. It is really funny to remember how she successfully came up with the idea to disguise her mother from her clients (even to her sister) in the parlour (inside her home). And also, her comical interaction/greetings with the village women during the wake of their aunt can not be disregarded as well. The exchanges of loud kisses (verbally as stup…stup…stup); and touching of faces simultaneously as a way of Spanish camaraderie and friendship brought the film into its hilarious mode.

The involvement of Agustina (BlancaPortillo) being a neighbour and close friend to Raimunda’s family made another twist in the story. Her portrayal is a collective representation of the village women – a group of people who literally believes in myths and superstitions. She is a kind of person who strongly sticks to her beliefs and will do anything just to solve the puzzle. I can also describe her as being persistent and true to herself which makes her interesting character. Finally, the mother – Abuela Irene (Carmen Maura) plays an important role in the film to ultimately connect the bits and pieces of the story. She is the key to all the secret boxes that are full of denial, guilt and lies. Her ‘return’ from the dead (hiding) ease a few matters left unresolved in her lifetime, particularly having an effect in her relationship with Raimunda. Carmen’s lively performance adds substantial humour to the story despite the fact that she is the witness of the past family trouble.

Technical Aspect***
In general, ‘Volver’ contains the highest standard elements of a film. The location is superb having shown the countryside of Spain. Interestingly, the beginning scene where everyone is busy cleaning the tombs of their loved ones inside the cemetery has initially set a strong message to the viewers - death. Another captivating scenic view is the numerous standing windmills contrasting the flat field and dusty road that brings a melancholic aura. Having this landscape, it also brings a fascinating glimpse of one of the alternative sources of power which is influential in minimizing global warming – a slice of environmental issue. At a closer look, the director was able to bring the physical dimension of the typical Spanish settlement and surroundings.

It can not be denied that the musical scoring and dubbing are excellently done which brings the emotions into life. For example, the scene in the party having a danceable and modern English music brings the scene into an animated mode; contrastingly during the singing performance of Penelope that significantly turned the scene into a melancholic and sad mode. Hearing the chirping sounds (tsup, stup, stup) created by the lips as the characters touched their faces during the traditional greetings and farewells bring these gestures into a comical experience especially on the part of non-Spanish viewers.

The costume, set design and lighting are also the highlights of the film as well. Why? Well, the designer provided the cast with varied styles of clothes, particularly with Penelope – she is even more beautiful and slender showing her ‘barbie’ body curve, in contrast with Sole and Agustina. The lighting on the other hand, enhanced the facial expressions of every character and at the same time the visibility of the surroundings especially during the night scenes. Also, the sensitive scenes (private body parts and sensual/sexual actions) were treated artistically by having a movement or sound to exaggerate the actions and the camera angle also played an important part to make these scenes realistic.

The editing aspect of the film can not be overlooked. Frankly, I do not have any dull moments during the entire duration of the film. No dragging scenes except for some occasions that the subtitles are quickly removed without completely reading it! Nevertheless, it does not spoil my mode as I intently following the scenes as the story progresses. And besides, having a little knowledge of Spanish, I could easily catch up with the dialogue without reading the English subtitle. In most cases, showing the credits at the end (cast and production staff) is the least important part of the movie. Interestingly, I eagerly stayed in my seat while watching the screen where beautifully sketched graphics (with the Spanish music in the background) are being flashed together with the names of the people involved in the production.

My Reflection***
As the title implies, the film reminded us of our PAST – the past that brought us to the present and to the future. Sometimes we can not move on with our lives because of the things that happened in the past. To some extent, these memories haunt us and completely over shadow our present lives. It is hard to stir our life to moving forward, unless we allow ourselves to dwell on it by the act of forgiveness, compassion and honesty. RETURNING to the past is a brave decision, but on the long term, it is a fulfilling and HEALING experience not only with the people (and family) we loved but importantly a gift to ourselves.

After watching the film also allows me to look back or contemplate on the period when the Spaniards settled their colonies in the Philippines. Looking back on how Spain did a major influence in our culture, language, tradition, dances, education, and settlements is quite interesting endeavour, particularly to reflect the positive and negative aspects of being under the Spanish rule for more than 300 years. Spain played a significant role in the propagation of CHRISTIANITY in the country – considered as the largest Catholic community in Asia. And most importantly, as depicted in the movie the VALUE of the FAMILY (as the smallest unit of the society) and hospitality which the Spanish inculcates it in the minds of our Filipino ancestors.

Lastly, from the directorship, musical scoring, editing and production design, screenplay and up to casting, it proves that this film is a glorious best of Almodovar. Undoubtedly, the jurors of this year’s Cannes Film Festival is anonymously proclaimed this film as the Best Screenplay and the winner of the Best Actress award as given to the six (6) leading female roles in the story which is quite unusual decision in an international award giving body.

OVERALL, this is a must-see and highly recommended film of the year. I am not sure if this will be shown in the regular commercial theatre runs, but nevertheless it is something to wait for its DVD release later this year.

Summary: A celebration of women power and the power of family