Volver (2006)

Great film! First of all, the acting is terrific. Penélope Cruz is obviously the pick of the bunch, she shows her quality and then some in the role; especially for the more emotive scenes. Lola Dueñas, Yohana Cobo and Carmen Maura also give noteworthy performances. Blanca Portillo makes her presence felt, too. The story is paced expertly, with the two hour run time flying by. It is quite the plot, with things of substance happening from practically the first first minutes. I really enjoyed seeing it all unfold. Everything also feels tangible, which is something I always appreciate. Cruz's dodgy moment of lip-syncing aside, 'Volver' is excellent!

This is a cracking film that follows "Raimunda" (Penelope Cruz) as she returns to her hometown to visit the grave of her mother. It turns out that she left many years ago amidst an environment of turbulence and tragedy. Together with her daughter "Paula" (Yohana Como) and "Sole" (Lola Dueñas) they visit the aunt who raised her - and who is now living in a world of her own, before returning to Madrid and facing an whole new slew of mishaps involving "Paula" and her drunken brute of a father "Paco"! Without their problems to seek, events pile up back at home again too - and 'Raimunda" has some ghastly home truths to face! This is darkly funny, and Cruz is on great form bouncing from one calamity to another struggling desperately to keep things from imploding. The supporting characters are rich and lively, too - especially as the semi-slapstick elements are introduced in to the plot. One of my favourite Almodóvar stories that is well worth two hours for some laughter and some poignancy.