Volver

Colour, 35 mm
Spain, 2006, 120 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Volver means “to return”, and Pedro Almodóvar in his new film returns to the land of his childhood, La Mancha, a region ravaged by strong winds and forest fires. One of these fires caused the death of the parents of Raimunda and Sole, sisters of different temperament but similar fate. The energetic and beautiful Raimunda has a more dramatic edge to her life; she is determined to defend her adolescent daughter, and is accustomed to providing not only for her, but also her unemployed husband. She bears a terrible secret within her, which is known only to her mother. But her mother is dead and Raimunda, unlike her sister, doesn’t believe in ghosts. “Volver” is also the song Raimunda sings in the tavern where she is preparing food for a film crew’s wrap party; no-one except her knows what is hidden in the huge refrigerator. Volver is a story of endurance: all the female characters in the film try to survive, and Pedro Almodóvar admires their courage in various situations – tragic and comic, grotesque and touching. Everyone was hoping that Almodóvar would win the Palme d’Or this year, but it passed him by again: The film won awards for the screenplay and the performance of all five lead actresses, in particular, P. Cruz and C. Maura.

About the director

Pedro Almodóvar (b. 1949, Calzada de Calatrava, Spain) hails from the land of Don Quixote. Like Buňuel, he was also educated in a monastery school, from where he would escape to watch prohibited films. He lived in Madrid from the age of 17, where he became a leading figure of the underground movement “movida madrileňa”. He began as a self-taught filmmaker in 1974. His feature debut was the “punk” film Pepi, Luci, Bom and the Other Girls on the Heap (1980). Almodóvar’s films were labelled as scandalous by the critics. He began to make a name for himself internationally with What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984), then enjoying true world-wide success with the film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1987 – Oscar and Felix nominations). The film Flower of My Secret won Best Actress at the 31st Karlovy Vary IFF. The films All About My Mother (1999) and Talk To Her (2002) won Oscars. His penultimate film Bad Education (2004) was also screened at Karlovy Vary.