|
Actors: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Volver |
|---|
Raimunda (Cruz) lives in Madrid with her 14-year-old daughter Paula (Cobo) and her lazy, drunken husband Paco. Her sister Sole (Duenas) is separated from her husband and runs an illegal hairstyling business out of her apartment. Their parents were killed in a fire three years ago in their home in the small rural village where the girls grew up.
Their Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) back in the village, whose mind is somewhat gone and who claims to see their mother Irene (Maura) on a regular basis, dies. Across the street from Aunt Paula is their friend Agustina (Portillo) is dying of cancer and wants to know what happened to her mother, who disappeared on the same day as the first that killed Raimunda's and Sole's parents.
Raimunda has to skip her Aunt Paula's funeral because she's got a bigger problem to deal with: Paco has tried to rape her daughter Paula, who accidentally killed him with a knife. Fortunately, the owner of a neighborhood bar who wants to sell it and is going on a trip to Barcelona leaves the keys with her, so she hides the body in a freezer in the bar, and then begins opening it to serve meals to a film crew working in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Irene turns up at Sole's apartment, starts helping her with her hair clients, and get to know her granddaughter Paula, but dares not reveal herself to Raimunda, from whom she has been estranged for years. Before all the women can reconcile, some secrets about the night of the fire, and even further back, will have to be revealed. This 2006 Pedro Almodovar film features his usual wonderful mix of absurdity, rich emotions, strong women, terrific laughs, and wonderful acting. "Volver," by the way, is Spanish for "to return."
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of Volver |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- present (2000-2010)
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Kind of sex:
- rape
- molestation
Coping with loss of loved one?
Yes
Coping with loss of
- Momma
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- blue collar
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (woman) long wavey
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Hispanic/Latinic
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- white/grey
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Hispanic/Latinic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Hispanic/Latinic
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Spain
City?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- very happy
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- sex under blankets
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- Spanish
Subtitles?
- Yes
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Death and the Maiden
starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson
|
| Ms. 45
starring Zoë Lund, Albert Sinkys, Editta Sherman
|
| All About My Mother
starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Penélope Cruz
|
| Positive I.D.
starring Stephanie Rascoe, John Davies, Steve Fromholz, Lauren Lane
|
| Imaginary Heroes
starring Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Emile Hirsch
|
|
Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Loftus
SCHOLARS:
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
