The Sea Inside

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/3/10 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and written by Amenabar and Mateo Gil, Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) is the true story about a Spanish mechanic named Ramon Sampedro who became paralyzed following a diving accident as he wishes to die. The film is an exploration of a man trying to fight the right to die in the way he wanted with the help of family and friends in a 28-year campaign. With Javier Bardem playing the role of Sampedro, the film also stars Belen Rueda, Lola Duenos, and Mabel Rivera. Mar Adentro is a beautiful yet harrowing film from Alejandro Amenabar.

It’s the late 1990s in Spain as a lawyer named Julia (Belen Rueda) is called upon by Gene` (Clara Segura) to meet Ramon Sampedro. Sampedro was a Spanish mechanic who one day, nearly died in the late 60s in a diving accident that left him paralyzed. Julia talks with Sampedro while getting to know his family including his sister-in-law/caregiver Manuela (Mabel River), his older brother Jose (Celso Bugallo), nephew Javier (Tamar Novas), and father Joaquin (Joan Dalmau). Gene` runs an organization to support euthanasia in Spain as she and her husband Marc (Francesc Garrido) is a lawyer that is also helping out. With Julia exploring Ramon’s demands to end his life but with dignity. He also reveals the things he wished he could still do without being in a paraplegic state that shows more reasons.

Hearing about the news is a woman named Rosa (Lola Duenos) who visits Ramon as she learns about his plight though isn’t sure about his reasons to die. Rosa makes visits and help things around while Julia writes a book about Ramon as during one of her visits, she collapses. It is revealed that she is dying of a disease where she was walking with a cane but now has to be on a wheelchair. With Julia now more understanding and why Ramon chose her, she takes part on his cause while a paraplegic priest in Padre Francisco (Jose Maria Pou) is making arguments against Ramon. With the Sampedro family divided over Ramon’s decision, Francisco makes a visit to the family home as the two with the help of one of Francisco’s associates (Alberto Amarilla) as their discussion comes to a standstill with Manuela angry at Padre Francisco.

With Julia’s illness worsening and Ramon having to go to a city to make his case. Everyone including Rosa helps Ramon to make his plea while he is dealing with other issues including Rosa’s own conflicted feelings about euthanasia. With Ramon’s story now published for the world to read, he makes a plan in case the court doesn’t go with his demands with the help of Rosa and his family as Ramon hopes to go out with the way he wants to leave.

Euthanasia is a subject that definitely will divide audiences on whether it should happen or not. Yet, the film isn’t entirely about euthanasia but rather a man wanting to die with dignity along with the people around him trying to deal with his wishes. Yet, affected by Ramon’s wishes to die are two women in the center of it in Julia and Rosa. Julia is a woman who is plagued by a disease that would affect her in which she would fully understand with Ramon’s wish to die. Rosa is the other side as a woman, though living through lots of hardship, is more of an optimist who is trying to understand why Ramon wants to die. Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gill both create a mesmerizing script with some bits of humor as the film is mostly dramatic in its tone along with a wonderful structure to tell the story.

Amenabar’s direction is definitely superb with its images of the Spanish beaches and countryside landscapes to give audiences an idea of Ramon’s own fantasy in a life where he isn’t a paraplegic. Notably some amazing scenery and sequences where the camera is flying over the beaches while the compositions of Ramon’s diving accident are shown with a sense of beauty and terror. More intimate scenes at Ramon’s home and the home of other characters are done with simple shots and camera work as Amenabar’s direction is definitely spellbinding. Even as he does his own editing to create some intense dramatic effects for the film’s highly-emotional scenes and some amazing fantasy sequences.

Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe does spectacular work with the film’s photography that is filled with lush, colorful look of the exterior scenes of the Spanish beaches and towns while at night, they’re shot with low lights. Many of the film’s interior scenes in day and night are shot with very little light to present something intimate and dark to complement the emotions of Ramon in what he’s feeling about as the cinematography is brilliant. Production designer/art director Benjamin Fernandez along with set decorator Emilio Ardura does excellent work on the film’s set designs in the home of Ramon and the farm along with the posh home of Julia and Rosa’s own simple apartment.

Costume designer Sonia Grande does some fine work with the film’s clothing which is mostly simple stuff including some pregnant-like clothing for Carla Segura’s character. Special make-up design by Jo Allen on Javier Bardem’s character in how he ages from a young man to an old man is truly magnificent in its look and feel. Sound work by editor Maria Steinberg and mixer Richard Steinberg is excellent for its atmosphere and tone for some of the film’s fantasy sequences. The music by Alejandro Amenabar himself is a mixture of huge, orchestral pieces along with Scottish-inspired music from bagpipes is wonderful. Even as he uses a soundtrack filled with pieces by Richard Wagner, Mozart, and Beethoven along with some opera pieces and traditional Spanish music.

The casting by Luis San Narciso is excellent for a slew of memorable performances including small roles from Alberto Jimenez as Julia’s husband, Federico Perez Rey as a driver, Alberto Amarilla as one of Padre Francisco’s assistants, and Francesc Garrido as Marc, a lawyer who helps plea for Ramon’s case. Jose Maria Pou is great as Padre Francisco, a paraplegic priest who tries to challenge Ramon’s wishes only to make himself look bad in front of Ramon’s family. Clara Segura is excellent as Gene`, an organizer who helps Ramon in his cause while Joan Dalmau is very good as Ramon’s father who reveals where the diving incident happened. Tamar Novas is also good as Ramon’s late teenage nephew who has a hard time doing duties for Ramon only to appreciate him later on. Celso Bugallo is brilliant as Jose, Ramon’s older brother who objects to Ramon’s wishes as he feels on how it would impact the family.

Mabel Rivera is wonderful as Manuela, Ramon’s sister-in-law and caregiver who tries to deal with all that is going on around her while being truly loyal to Ramon. Lola Duenos is superb as Rosa, a single mother who is awestruck by Ramon’s story as she becomes a devoted helper despite her conflict towards euthanasia. Belen Rueda is excellent as Julia, a lawyer who suddenly becomes ill as she starts to understand why Ramon would want to die as she also writes his story.

Finally, there’s Javier Bardem in one of his greatest performances of his career. Though he’s lying on a bed most of the time just using his head to move and carry a stick with his mouth. It’s definitely a lively performance from the famed Spanish actor who brings a lot of humor and drama to his character. Even as he is walking and moving his body in fantasy sequences. It’s definitely a marvel to watch him play a fascinating character as it truly one of Bardem’s finest roles.

Mar Adentro is an exhilarating yet mesmerizing film from Alejandro Amenabar featuring a superb performance from Javier Bardem. Audiences who love inspiring dramas without overly-sentimental messages or heavy-handed issues will enjoy this. Even as it definitely one of the best films to come from Spain for the past twenty years as it is also Amenabar’s best work as a director so far. In the end, Mar Adentro is a magnificent film from Alejandro Amenabar.

Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - Agora - Regression - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar

© thevoid99 2013

I'm So Excited!

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Los amantes pasajeros (I’m So Excited!) is about a group of passengers boarding a flight to Mexico where lots of mayhem ensues during the course of the flight. The film marks a return of sorts to the earlier comedies that Almodovar did in the early 80s after a near-long decade focusing on dramas and suspense films. Starring Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Duenos, Raul Arevalo, Blanca Suarez, and special appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. Los amantes pasajeros is a witty yet wild comedy from Pedro Almodovar.

The film revolves around a flight from Madrid to Mexico where something has gone wrong with the landing gear as the plane is looking for a place to land. With the economy class passengers all asleep due to the sedatives that are given, only the pilots, the first-class stewards, and a small number of first-class passengers are aware of the situation as they drink Valencia cocktails with mescaline, endure all sorts of craziness, and tell their own stories while being entertained by the stewards. It’s a film that plays into a world in which stewards, passengers, and pilots deal with themselves as they’re not sure if they will survive.

Pedro Almodovar’s screenplay explores the dynamics of these characters as it includes a bisexual pilot, his sexually-confused co-pilot, three gay stewards, an engaged couple, a TV actor, a famed erotic actress, a securities officer, a virginal psychic, and a bank manager dealing with the financial collapse of his own bank and an airport. All of them are all dealing with issues of their own as the story has a structure that plays into a span of few hours where the characters are dealing with situation about the plane. Some have to use the public phone to call loved ones while others finally face the truths of their own situations and why they’re fleeing to Mexico. It all plays to Almodovar’s approach to humor where these characters all try to handle the situation as everyone starts to loosen up and such while waiting to see where to land.

Almodovar’s direction is very stylized but also intimate as the film is mostly set in an airplane that includes a hilarious dance sequence to the title song by the Pointer Sisters. With some stylish compositions and the use of the widescreen, Almodovar gets the chance to create an intimacy while having the frame fill out inside the plane. Even as he incorporates many silly situations and dialogue about sex and such in the course of the film. While there’s some scenes outside of the plane that involves some minor characters related to the main characters, it would play to some of the drama as well as the humor. While the humor is subtle and the drama low-key, Almodovar still crafts a very entertaining comedy about life in an airplane.

Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine does fantastic work with the cinematography from the exteriors set in some of the locations to the more low-key yet colorful scenes inside the plane. Editor Jose Salcedo does excellent work with the editing to play up some of its humor as well as a few stylish jump-cuts for a sequence involving the Valencia cocktail. Production designer Antxon Gomez, with set decorator Maria Clara Notari and art director Federico Garcia Cambero, does amazing work with the look of the airplane from the look of the economy class to the more spacious look of the first class section.

Costume designers David Deflin and Tatiana Hernandez do fabulous work with the costumes from the colorful dresses the women wear to the steward uniforms. Visual effects supervisor Eduardo Diaz does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects that involve a few scenes shot outside of the airplane. Sound editor Pelayo Gutierrez does terrific work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of the plane including some of the sounds that occur inside. The film’s music by Alberto Iglesias is brilliant as it mostly an orchestral score that is playful at times but also quite somber while its soundtrack includes a rhythmic take on Fur Elise as well as a few pop tunes including the title song by Pointer Sisters.

The casting by Luis San Narciso is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz as two airport employees in the beginning of the film as well as Paz Vega as a mentally-ill lover of the TV actor, Blanca Suarez as a former flame of that actor, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Laya Marti as a newlywed couple, and Agustin Almodovar as an air traffic controller. Guillermo Toledo is excellent as the TV actor Ricardo Galan who is dealing with his own issues with a troubled girlfriend while Jose Maria Yazpik is superb as the security officer Infante who has a crush on the aging actress Norma Boss. Jose Luis Torrijo is terrific as the troubled Sr. Mas as a man trying to run from the law while admitting to his own personal issues.

Raul Alveros and Carlos Areces are hilarious in their respective roles as the gay stewards Ulloa and Fajardo as they bring a lot of camp to the film. Javier Camara is amazing as the lead steward Joserra as a man dealing with relationship issues with one of the co-pilots while trying to get everything under control. Antonio de la Torre and Hugo Silva are brilliant in their respective roles as the bisexual pilot Alex Acero and the sexually-confused co-pilot Benito. Lola Duenos is wonderful as the virginal psychic Bruna who says strange things and is eager to lose her virginity while Cecilia Roth is fabulous as Norma Boss as a former erotic film actress who has a hard time dealing with the chaos of the plane while revealing about her own secrets of her life.

Los amantes pasajeros is a very delightful film from Pedro Almodovar. While it’s a pretty light-hearted film that might be considered a minor film from the famed filmmaker. It’s still one that is full of joy and laughs while just playing around a bit without taking things to seriously with some help from his cast and crew. In the end, Los amantes pasajeros is a stellar yet exciting film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2013

2011 Cannes Film Festival Marathon: Broken Embraces

(Premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in Competition for the Palme D’or)

2006’s Volver was a massive hit for Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar as it won the director various prizes including a Best Screenplay prize at the Cannes Film Festival while his ensemble of female actresses including longtime collaborator Penelope Cruz won the Best Actress prize at the festival. Even as Cruz received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress proving that Almdovar is still on top. Following a break, Almodovar re-teamed with Penelope Cruz for their fourth collaboration for a multi-layered project about love and its complications set in a noir setting entitled Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces).

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Los Abrazos Rotos is a multi-layered film set into three different years about a blind writer reflecting on his years as a film director when he fell for a woman whose husband is a powerful businessman. A film that meshes film noir along with elements of mystery and Almodovar’s own brand of humor. It’s a film where Almodovar plays with genres where he pays tributes to 1950s American film noir while also having fun with his own work. Also starring Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Tamar Novas, Ruben Ochandiano, Jose Luis Gomez, and appearances from Almodovar regulars Angela Molina, Rossy Palma, Lola Duenos, and Chus Lampreave. Los Abrazos Rotos is a stylish yet hypnotic film from Pedro Almodovar.

Once a great filmmaker until he turned blind, Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar) has been living his life as a writer who helps create scripts for other filmmakers under his preferred pseudonym Harry Caine. With help from his longtime agent/friend Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her adult son/club DJ Diego (Tamar Novas), Harry is able to get work while Diego aspires to be a screenwriter. When Harry learns that a millionaire named Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez) has died, he recalls the story about Martel’s mistress in a secretary named Magdalena (Penelope Cruz) back in 1992. Magdalena was a part-time hooker whom Ernesto was attracted to while he helped her cancer-stricken father be moved to a hospital.

During a busy day, Harry gets a visit from a man named Ray X (Ruben Ochandiano) wanting to work with him on a project. After pitching the project to Harry who doesn’t want to do it, Ray says something that Diego overhears as Harry realizes who it is as does Judit. Revealed to be Ernesto’s son, Judit orders Diego to watch for him while she has to go to the U.S. for business as he is also asked to watch over Harry. When Diego reveals to Harry about a script idea relating to vampire lovers, Harry helps him structure the story. Diego is excited by the idea of a script until he accidentally drinks something with a drug that got him sick. Harry learns what happens as he decides to be by his side as he tells Diego a story about Martel and Magdalena that Judit doesn’t want to tell.

Two years after helping Magdalena, she becomes Martel’s mistress while has aspirations to be an actress. Accompanied by Ernesto Jr., she auditions for Mateo that doesn’t go well at first until he wants to see her again. She gets a part for a comedy called Chicas y maletas (Girls and Suitcases) with Ernesto Jr. documenting everything in the production. Yet, Ernesto Jr. is really served as a spy for what happens as Martel is suspicious about Magdalena’s growing relationship with Mateo. Even as he hires a lip-reader (Lola Duenos) to help out where it becomes clear that Mateo and Magdalena are falling for each other. With Martel wanting to stop the affair by doing anything as possible to stop the production. Instead, the love grows strong where they go away for a while only to find out what Martel is doing to Mateo’s film as Harry through Diego learns what really happened to his film. Even as Judit, following her return from the U.S., confesses what’s happened along with the idea of why Ernesto Jr. has shown up to meet Harry.

The film is about a man reflecting on the woman he had loved and what happened when she is taken by the man she was with. Yet, it’s told largely through flashbacks along with a multitude of perspectives about this beautiful woman who would be the object of Mateo’s desires but also the ire of jealousy in a man named Martel. The story is told in four different worlds and periods. 1992 when Magdalena meets Martel. 1994 when Magdalena meets and falls for Mateo where around the same time, the film that Mateo is trying make is also told. The fourth and last piece is from 2008 where Mateo is now Harry Caine as he tells the story to Diego, who is keen on wanting to know the secret his mother has been keeping from him since Ernesto Jr.’s appearance.

The film has Almodovar not just playing with the noir genre as well as the mystery aspects as the character of Diego is the one trying to learn what has happened and how Harry became blind. With Diego playing the audience of sorts, he learns about Magdalena, Martel, Martel’s son, Harry when he was Mateo, and his own mother. Each of those individuals have their own motives and reasons for either keeping secrets or trying to reveal things. Yet, Almodovar doesn’t portray them as heroes nor villains but rather as human beings. Martel might seem like a true villain, it’s easy to think about that though he is someone so in love with Magdalena that he’s even tried to help her dying father.

Almodovar’s script does have a lot of dramatic elements for many of the film’s flashback sequences as it is an ode to film noir. Even as it includes a scene where Martel does something to Magdalena that is like a lot of noir films. The film within a film called Chicas y maletas is really Almodovar’s Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) with some changes as Almodovar gets a chance to make fun of himself. The mixture of noir, comedy, melodrama, and suspense would’ve made the film uneven but Almodovar is able to make it unify into a wonderful story that leaves the audience a chance to piece everything together.

Almodovar’s direction is definitely hypnotic in his framing as he often shoots scenes with a broad scope. Even if it’s an intimate room setting with two people in the frame just so the audience can look at the world they’re living in. The stylization of the shots from the noir-like compositions for many of the film’s dramatic moments to the vibrancy of the film that Mateo is making. Even in the scenes where Mateo and Magdalena go to the Lanzarote island where the canvas is much broader and the compositions are richer. Even in those scenes where the characters briefly speak English for a moment showing Almodovar going outside of the box. Almodovar also goes into the use of old-school video cameras for many of the material shot by Ernesto Jr. where there is a great scene where Magdalena says everything that’s needed to be said in Ernesto’s video. The direction overall is masterful as it shows Almodovar refining his style while taking on a few new ideas in the process.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does a phenomenal job with the look of the film that ranges into a variety of moods. From the vibrant colors of the Chicas y maletas film to the noir-like look for many of the scenes at Martel’s home. Prieto’s photography is definitely a technical highlight of the film the way he shoots the stark but also peaceful world of Lanzarote to the world that is Madrid. Even as Prieto does some wonderful grainy camera for the film’s documentary footage.

Longtime Almodovar collaborator Jose Salcedo does a great job with the film’s editing. Particularly with its leisured pace and transitions in moving the film back and forth from flashback to present time. Salcedo’s cutting is mostly straightforward in its presentation but helps build the suspense slowly so the audience can get a chance to figure out what is going on.

Production designer Antxon Gomez, along with art director Victor Molero and set decorators Marta Blasco and Pilar Revuelta, does a fabulous job with the set pieces from the apartments that Harry and Judit live in along with the lavish home of Martel that represents his persona. Costume designer Sonia Grande does an excellent job with the costumes from the casual clothes that everyone wears to the stylish, dazzling dresses that Magdalena wears throughout the entire movie and such. Sound editor Peyalo Gutierrez and mixer Miguel Rejas do a wonderful job on the sound from the way shoes are heard when people are walking on marble floors to the atmosphere of the film set.

The film’s score by longtime Almodovar associate Alberto Iglesias is amazing for its dramatic orchestral score that plays to the noir tone of the film. Even as Iglesias mixes his Spanish folk sound with an orchestra to portray not just Mateo’s longing for Magdalena but also Martel’s jealousy. Iglesias’ work is truly superb while the rest of the soundtrack features a swelling orchestral piece from Miguel Poveda, a couple of electronic tracks, a piece by Can, and a cover of Michael Hurley’s Werewolf by Cat Power that plays to the haunting tone of the film.

The casting by Luis San Narciso does a superb job with the casting as the film includes numerous cameos from many of Almodovar’s array of regular actors and collaborators. Among them include Rossy de Palma, Carmen Machi, and Chus Lampreave as characters from Chicas y maletas along with Angela Molina as Magdalena’s mother, Kiti Manver as Magdalena’s brothel boss, Mariola Fuentes as an assistant of Mateo, and Lola Duenos as a lip-reader for Martel. Other notable small roles include Kira Miro as a model whom Harry would have sex with early in the film along with Alejo Sauras as a friend of Diego’s, and Ramon Pons as Magdalena’s dying father. Ruben Ochandiano is excellent as the devious Ray X who hopes to blackmail Harry while as Ernesto Jr., is a young filmmaker with long hair and pimples on his face who is desperate to become a filmmaker.

Tamar Novas is superb as Diego, Harry’s longtime assistant who aspires to be a writer while learning about the secrets that Harry has kept while becoming the man who helps Harry piece the missing pieces of the puzzle. Jose Luis Gomez is great as Ernesto Martel, a man who loves Magdalena but couldn’t bear to see her with another man as his desperation to have her would lead to some unimaginable things. The film’s best supporting performance definitely goes to longtime Almodovar regular Blanca Portillo as Judit, a longtime associate of Mateo/Harry who is haunted by Ray’s presence. Portillo does a magnificent job in portraying a troubled carrying secrets while admitting to her own guilt while not making her character pathetic despite her actions and motives.

Penelope Cruz is radiant in her role as Magdalena where she encompass all styles of beauty including an ode to the late, great Audrey Hepburn. While it may not top her performance in Volver, Cruz is able to showcase her range by being funny and relaxed in some moments while being dramatic and melancholic in other scenes. It’s definitely one of her best roles to date. Finally, there’s Lluis Homar in a spectacular performance as Mateo Blanco/Harry Caine. For Mateo, Homar plays a man who is an accomplished artist who finds a muse in Magdalena and falls for her. When he’s Harry Caine, he’s a man who still has some charm but also some regret over what happens while wondering what went wrong. It’s a mesmerizing role for Homar who is definitely one of the best actors working today internationally.

Los Abrazos Rotos is a remarkable yet spellbinding noir-thriller from Pedro Almodovar and company featuring top-notch performances from Penelope Cruz and Lluis Homar. Fans of Almodovar will definitely see this as another winning achievement from the renowned Spanish auteur. Even as his collaboration with Cruz, in four films so far, has cemented their place as one of the best director-actor collaborations in film. In the end, Los Abrazos Rotos is a chilling yet hypnotic film from Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited! - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

Volver

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/11/07 w/ Additional Edits.

While 2004's La Mala Educacion (Bad Education) wasn't another runaway hit like previous films that Pedro Almodovar did for 1999's Todo Sobre mi Madre (All About My Mother) and 2002's Habla con Ella (Talk to Her). Almodovar still received the same worldwide acclaim that his other films did. In 2006, Almodovar reunited with not just regular Penelope Cruz but also the star of his early films in Carmen Maura for a new film that marked a return of sorts to comedy but also melodrama. First released in Spain and later around the world, Volver (To Return) marked another turning point for the director where in the U.S., a two-week national retrospective celebrating his films was widely received as everyone anticipated the release of Volver.

Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Volver tells the story of two sisters, and a daughter living in the city where after the sisters' mother supposedly reappears as a ghost. The two sisters try to respond with the help of an aunt and a neighbor from the village that they were born from. A film about death and family, Almodovar explores the relationship between different generation of women while reaching back to his roots in small villages. Starring Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenos, Chus Lampreave, Yohana Cobo, and Blanca Portillo. Volver is an exhilarating, provocative masterpiece from Pedro Almodovar.

It's a windy day in the land of La Mancha as two sisters Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) and Sole (Lola Duenos) along with Raimunda's daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) are cleaning the gravestone of Paula's grandparents that included grandmother Irene (Carmen Maura). The couple died in a fire mysteriously which no one had known. After the cleaning, the three women visit their friend Agustina (Blanca Portillo) whose own mother had disappeared mysteriously around the same time Irene had died. Later that day in the villages of La Mancha, they go across from the house to visit their aging Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave). After eating dinner with their Aunt, the trio return to their separate homes in Madrid. Raimunda and Paula live with Raimunda's husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre), who has become restless lately in losing a job and such.

Then one day, Sole gets a call that Aunt Paula has died. Sole goes to La Mancha while Raimunda and Paula tend to other issues concerning Paco. Sole visits Agustina where claims of Irene's ghost had appeared and while going to the home of Aunt Paula, Sole sees the ghost of her mother. When Raimunda returns home to help sell a restaurant by its owner Emilio (Carlos Blanco), who is going out of town, Raimunda finds Paco dead as he was killed by Paula after a molestation attempt. The death revealed claims that Paco was never Paula's father. Paula and Raimunda decide to hide the body and later, Raimunda would hide him in a freezer at the restaurant.

Upon Sole's return to La Mancha, she hears a knock from the trunk of her car which revealed to be none other than her mother. Sole, who runs a private salon business, asks her mother why she is appearing to her. Irene plans to reveal what is going on as she decides to help out Sole with her business by pretending to be a Russian immigrant. With Raimunda still trying to figure out what to do with Paco's body, a film crew is shooting nearby and looking for a restaurant to have food during filming. Raimunda decides to use the restaurant for its last days to make money with help from a few people from town. The venture becomes a success as Raimunda often gets frequent visits from Sole and vice versa. Raimunda and Paula are unaware that Irene is around. Sole later gets a call from Agustina where Agustina is falling ill from cancer. Raimunda reluctantly visits her Agustina from the hospital.

Agustina wants to know about her own mother's supposed death and some dark secrets in relation to Irene's death. Raimunda isn't sure what's going on as her concerns become about Paco. Leaving Paula to stay with her aunt Sole, Paula learns about Irene herself. When Raimunda and Sole learn that Agustina is forced to reveal secrets on TV, things start to go wrong as Raimunda finally sees Irene where the secrets about the family is revealed. With Agustina now dying, Irene, her daughters, and granddaughter decide to find a way to unveil their own faults and help out a friend.

Given the theme of death that surrounds Volver, writer/director Pedro Almodovar clearly discusses its theme and how it relates personally to a landscape like La Mancha. Yet, that isn't what the film is entirely about. It's really more about family and sisterhood. Death drives the film's complex, layered plot as Raimunda and Sole still try to figure out how their mother died or how Agustina is dealing with the fact that her mother might be dead. The film plays up to a momentum in which, the secrets are unveiled with shocking surprises and such. Through Almodovar's eerie, observant yet colorful direction, the film moves with a pacing where he lets the audience try to figure out things for themselves while see the strength of the women in the film.

It's clear that Volver is a very personal film since Almodovar was raised by a lot of women in his family, in which, they all come from La Mancha. Whereas his previous film, La Mala Educacion was another personal yet darker film about his own childhood. Volver is more optimistic since it's about the generations of women and how they deal with death and tragedy. The film is also funnier than some of Almodovar's previous films. Particularly during a scene in which, it involves something as universally funny as a fart joke. The scene reveals something that audiences can relate to in such a funny way, it could be done in any language. The fart joke.

It's Almodovar's script and his entrancing direction that gives the film a unique tone and momentum. The surprises keep on coming yet by the film's end, there's no more surprises as the audience are still in shock over what has happened. Yet, the shock is worn off over its aftermath. The film ends abruptly but it's only because there's nothing to tell that the audience already knows. Still, it works since the film and the characters allow themselves closure. Overall, it's all Almodovar and his unique approach to storytelling.

Longtime cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine brings a lot of vibrancy and color to the film's look where the exteriors sequences in Madrid, notably a scene where a dinner for the film crew is exquisite. The scenes in La Mancha are more intimate not just in the exterior settings in the villages but also in the interior scenes. Production designer Salvador Parra and set decorator Mara Matey also plays to the film’s colorful look with great set designs on the apartments filled with wonderful colors and material. Costume designer Sabine Daigeler adds a unique touch to the film’s colorful costumes that have a casual look that audiences can enjoy while being very stylish. Longtime editor Jose Salcedo does great work in the film's editing where he uses the film's plot-momentum to build suspense with slow pacing style that works to build up the momentum. Sound recorders Jose Antonio Bermudez and Miguel Rejas do great work in capturing the differing atmospheres of La Mancha and Madrid.

Longtime score composer Alberto Iglesias brings a wonderful orchestral score along with elements of Spanish pop music including a song lip-synced by Penelope Cruz that is one of the film's great highlights. The film's music shows the diversity of Spain ranging from traditional to classical.

The film's cast is wonderful that features notably small performances from Carlos Blanco and Antonio de la Torre as the only male characters in the film. Other memorable small roles from Maria Isabel Diaz and Neus Sanz as a couple of women who help Raimunda run the restaurant. Chus Lampreave is great in her small but memorable role as Aunt Paula who is trying to remember about her late sister and her nieces when they're young. Blanco Portillo is wonderful as the dying Agustina who is haunted by the possibility of the ghost of Irene while trying to figure out about her mother's own disappearance. Yohana Cobo is really good as Raimunda's daughter who tries to deal with the idea of the death of her father and the possibility that the man isn't her father. Cobo's performance is wonderfully natural as a young woman trying to understand her own identity.

Lola Duenos is excellent as Sole, the sister who first discovers the possible spirit of Irene as she is dealing with her own loneliness. When Sole re-establishes a relationship with her mother, she tries to figure out her own flaws as her character becomes fuller as Duenas does an amazing job in playing the other sister. In her first collaboration with Almodovar since 1988's Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), Carmen Maura gives an exhilirating performance as Irene. Maura brings a kind of maternal energy and comfort that is needed while secretly carrying her own guilt as she tries to hide the fact on why she is here. Maura’s performance is a real standout as she proves herself that she is one of Spain’s great actresses.

Penelope Cruz gives the kind of performance that isn't seen much in her American work. Instead, it's probably her best as a woman dealing with the death of her husband, running a restaurant, concealing her own secrets, and taking care of her daughter. Cruz gets to be sensual but also engaging in her performance as a woman who is trying to find good while dealing with a lot of cynicism and such. It's really Cruz at her peak as she looks comfortable in her role while proving that she a top-notch international actress.

The film was released in Spain in early 2006 to rave reviews and box office which is often expected from Almodovar. A few months later at Cannes, the film was a hit where it won the top screenplay prize for Almodovar while the film's main female ensemble shared the Best Actress prize. Released later that year in the U.S., Volver was another modest hit for Almodovar while Penelope Cruz received Best Actress nominations from both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

Anyone who loves the films of Pedro Almodovar will no doubt find Volver to be amongst as one of his essential films. Fans of films about sisterhood will no doubt find something that women can relate to, even through their different generations and age groups. In the end, Volver is a funny, sad, heartfelt film that crosses all barriers from the unique vision of Pedro Almodovar.

Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - I'm So Excited! - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)

The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011