Volver

Volver means to "return" and this story had that theme more towards the middle of the film but had to build upon the current character situations to get to the "return" part. I studied Latin women authors in college and this film kept speaking "Isabel Allende" (a great Latin author) to me. It is a story about women in Spain, marriage, family, complexities. No one can tell a story like the women authors I studied, except for writer/director Pedro Almodovar. This film allows you to escape. You have no idea what developments will occur next and that always keeps me interested. Penelope Cruz is so fabulous, such a presence, such a beauty, and this role was no exception. She plays Raimunda, a fiery, hard, working- class woman trying to make ends meet for she and her daughter. Her husband is a good for nothing drunk who is crass and neanderthal in his dealings with the opposite sex. There are so many character parallels in this, so many layers that all connect to every single thing that happens! So few American movies can achieve such graceful writing, and connection. SO MUCH GOING ON. The direction simple but it so laced with such human complexities you can do simple. The gist of it is that Raimunda has to deal with a murder and ultimately discovers that her life eerily parallels her "dead" mother's... I wish I could go further into it, but I don't want to give any away because I highly recommend this film, especially to escape, which I have needed ever so much these past few days. The subtitles are fast in the beginning, because Spanish is a fast language, but you grow accustomed to it quickly and it becomes rote.

I give it an 8 out of 10.
http://bit.ly/volvertrailer