Volver

After watching All About My Mother and Bad Education, I can definitely understand Pedro Almodovar’s auteur status with Volver and the narrative and visual motifs shared among his films. Volver tells the story of Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) as she navigates life as a newly single mother alongside her female relatives. The circular narrative forms strong connections between Raimunda, her adolescent daughter, and her supposedly deceased mother. These three seemingly tragic characters show their strength in the relationships and the things they are willing to do for each other. A story of triumph, suspicion, and especially survival, Almodovar shows the strength of women in maintaining a consistency in life despite the constant harm caused by the men who interfere.

Much more mature and much less comic than All About My Mother, Volver highlights the sophistication and evolution of Almodovar as a filmmaker. Almodovar’s early films and even All About My Mother to an extent, seem to purposefully try to simply surprise viewers. Volver, on the other hand, does not rely so heavily on such tactics, instead relying more on acting and cinematography to establish a relationship with viewers. Almodovar often utilizes slow tracking shots and especially facial close-ups allowing his actresses to speak solely with their eyes (and Cruz does so spectacularly). The witty, almost biting dialogue drops out completely at times, letting the camera tell the story. Almodovar’s direction leaves little to be desired, and I look forward to seeing more of his work.