Volver (2006)

Volver is certainly a film that was able to hold my interest, but I was never quite in love with it. I'm a huge fan of world cinema films, I always find it refreshing to see a fresh approach to filmmaking that Hollywood and the UK just doesn't have, not to mention the use of subtitles forces me to be more actively engaged with the plot. Pedro Almodovar is a revered director of world cinema and he has earned that status through his challenging and cynical takes on Spanish identity. Volver is no exception to this. If there's one thing to highlight in this film, it's Penelope Cruz. It always surprises me when I remember that she has the unique advantage of being a legitimate bankable Hollywood star but also someone who can appear in smaller productions in her mother tongue and no one bats and eye. In fact, it's these very films for which she receives praise, Volver, for example, earned her Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress, and rightly so. Raimunda is clearly a woman who loves her family dearly and will do anything for them, even if it involves getting into serious trouble, this trouble is what sets the plot in motion. Her performance is very human and relatable but with the kind of charisma and wit that Cruz brings to every role she plays. The praise she received for this role is perfectly understandable and it definitely demonstrates that she is a highly talented performer. Unfortunately, Cruz seems to be the only thing that keeps this film afloat for me. Much like Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood and also in Gangs of New York, I have no other reason to enjoy this film other than the talent of the lead. The story seems to lack focus, as one arc progresses, another will begin without the former arc resolving itself naturally. Instead the resolution just seems somewhat forced, almost as if to make room for other subplots. The first key event in the film was strong enough to make the whole thing about, instead it's ignored as the supporting cast have their own stories which all inexplicably link together. The family dynamic between Raimunda and her loved ones is genuine though, I felt like these characters really had known each other their whole lives and that there really was affection there. That is most definitely a commendation to the strength of the cast and Almodovar's impeccable casting decisions. The film plays around with very interesting ideas and I feel like with more development on just one of these ideas the film could have been much tighter. The theme of death is certainly a recurring motif as these characters seem trapped in some form of limbo as they move from one problem to the next. Family values, the consequences of your actions, religion, spirituality and trust all play key parts in the storytelling as well. I just think that this was a little bit too much, I found myself getting somewhat bored around 90 minutes in and after it was over I definitely felt like it could have been shorter. Not a film that lit my world on fire but I'm glad I watched it as it's such a popular one of world cinema. The acting is stellar and I can see what the film is trying to do, I just don't think it quite hits the nail on the head. Perhaps it could have been split into some kind of trilogy, each with the same style and cast but different characters and a different theme. This is quite a common practice and I'd welcome it but as Volver is, I don't see it as a masterpiece, just an okay drama with a few thrills but not taking full advantage of its talent and ambition.