What's an Oscar Flashback (tm)? Read here:
Next on my Netflix queue was Volver, for which Penelope Cruz was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar (film year, 2006; awarding year, 2007). The other nominees for Best Actress in this category were:
The Queen - Helen Mirren (Winner)
Notes on a Scandal - Judi Dench
The Devil Wears Prada - Meryl Streep
Little Children - Kate Winslet
The two films currently topping my Netflix queue turn out to be Oscar-nominated Spanish-language foreign language films. Volver ("Returning") was the first.
Volver represents my first foray into the films of Pedro Almodovar. I understand he is quite the esteemed director, so I was excited to give this film a look. Plus, the premise sounded like something potentially up my alley, and, of course, I had heard of the film thanks to its Oscar exposure (which is, by the way, part of the purpose of highlighting the film as an "Oscar Flashback"). While Volver was not a perfect film, it was certainly a sweet picture with much heart and an engaging performance by Ms. Cruz, and I'm definitely interested in exploring some of Almodovar's other films.
In Volver, the story centers around three generations of women in a family struggling to maintain familial bonds following the death of the matriarch, Irene. Raimunda (Cruz) and her daughter Paula live in Madrid with her layabout husband Paco, while Raimunda works as a janitor. After Paco is fired, he takes his frustration out on Paula in a shocking way, and Paula is forced to take extreme measures to retaliate. While Raimunda works to protect her daughter from the possible legal and emotional consequences of the situation, she relies on her sister Soledad, who also lives in Madrid and works as a hairstylist. Both women are responsible for caring for their aging and ailing Aunt Paula, who lives in their mother's former home in their birthplace of La Mancha and is also cared for her by her neighbor, Agustina. Before their aunt passes away, Raimunda and Soledad learn from her that she has been seeing visions of their mother Irene in ghostly form, who has also been caring for her and living with her. Writing this tale off as an unfortunate result of her illness. they are surprised to learn, after their aunt passes away, that other residents of their former village have also seen Irene; subsequently, she begins to appear to members of their family, beginning with Sole. Sole is forced to decide how to respond to her mother's curious presence and to decide whether or not to share this information with Raimunda, as Raimunda struggles to cope with her daughter's painful experience, her own shocking history, and surviving in the present.
As I've mentioned, Volver is a sweet picture, zeroed in on observations of the human condition in unusual circumstances. The relationships between the women that are being explored are written, directed, and performed with such infectious warmth, it's hard not to immediately enjoy the picture on a purely aesthetic basis. Ms. Cruz does, indeed, give a winning performance, even if she did not win the award (though I haven't seen The Queen yet); when she was on screen, it was hard not make or accept her as the immediate focal point. Raimunda's story is all at once so poignant, so tragic, and yet such a tale of survival, and Ms. Cruz tackled the wide-ranging emotions of this character with gusto. She was a joy to watch.
I was not as familiar with the rest of the cast, as I haven't seen too many films that are exports from Spain, but I felt this was a very good ensemble of women telling a beautiful tale about having strength as women trying to live their lives and to move forward. I particularly liked the actress who played Sole; she proved to be a charming and understated counterpoint to the more passionate portrayal offered by Cruz.
The cinematography in this film was masterful and proved to be something of another character all on its own. Apparently, Almodovar is quite the master at exploring the limits of the camera in intimate settings; the claim was certainly true here. From different color palates to skillful angles and choice close-ups, this director was able to elevate the intimacy levels with his obviously practiced knowledge of the camera in a charming and heartstring-tugging way.
While I was certainly entertained by Volver and its unique story, however, I did not love the film for two reasons. First, the story was very scattered, mostly in the sense that the film was attempting to focus on three primary women (Raimunda, Sole, and Paula) and their reaction to the presence of Irene, but there were side stories that also figured into the grand scheme. It all comes together in the end, and none of the storylines lacked for interest or went unresolved, but on initial viewing, I was left wondering why the viewer might need to know so much about, for example, Agustina's particular story or why Raimunda cared so much about cooking for a film crew working locally and looking for a place to relax and eat, stories which felt a little distracting and were not necessarily comic relief. Second, the ending seemed very abrupt to me. Again, no part of the story was left unresolved, but after taking such a slow and deliberate approach toward unfolding some big secrets at the end of the movie, the payoff of the storytelling, in fact, it was surprising that the film ended the way it did, without more of a denouement that might leave the viewer settled.
All in all, though, these are minor points, but they did knock the potential rating down a peg for me. Speaking of ratings, I think Volver deserves an 8 on the patented ratings scale for having minor flaws but being very good. In the land of the test, it does not pass, for the simple reason that I just don't see myself watching Volver again, even though I liked it very much. I think the film is highly recommendable as an introduction to Almodovar or if one enjoys Spanish films, though, and I wouldn't object to watching it again if offered; I just do not think I would if I bought it. In any event, I am glad the Oscars exposed me to such a film; I am looking forward to seeing other, allegedly better, examples of Almodovar's filmography in the future.