Volver

Pedro Almodovar adopts Penelope Cruz as his latest muse in a cross-generational narrative about the culture of death in his native region of La Mancha, Spain. Raimunda (Cruz) moves back to her hometown of La Mancha from Madrid to hide the corpse of her husband Paco after her daughter Paula kills the man who may or may not be her father when he attempts to sexually molest her. Following the death of their Aunt Paula, Raimunda’s hairdresser sister Sole finds herself covering up the presence of their mother Irene’s ghost who has moved into Aunt Paula’s house. Already, the entire pueblo already believes that Irene’s ghost has returned. "Volver" has all of Pedro Almodovar’s signature splashes of color amid a communal discourse on reconciling the death of family members. Almodovar’s rich emotional soup is filled with comedy, drama, music, and discovery within an all-female context.

Rated R. 106 mins. (B+) (Four Stars)