Volver

Volver

The opening scene - a choreographed dance of black-clad widows cleaning the graves of their dead husbands - sets a surreal tone that continues for its length. It is a movie about death, about profound disappointment, and how these events affect the lives of the characters. Penelope Cruz and friends fill the screen with passion. As the title of the movie suggests, the theme is all about returning - Volver is the Spanish verb meaning ‘to return’. This movie is definitely not a typical mystery - the twists and turns in its plot don’t really provoke any suspense, but rather loop back upon themselves in various incestuous developments. A daughter kills in self-preservation, then a mother returns from the dead after providing the ultimate in matriarchal revenge. And yet, this film is not dominated by these occasional descents into darkness; rather, it revels in the voluptuousness of its actors, the sumptuousness of the Spanish scenery, the luxury of its food and music. A self-deprecating sense of humour also dominates the action, enabling the characters to fully inhabit the absurdist terrain that Almodovar, the director, has created .