Audiences will want to return to ‘Volver’ over and over
Not often does a foreign film cause such a stir in the film industry that it ends up in Fargo.
Director Pedro Almodóvar’s 2006 film “Volver” has achieved that very goal.
International praise from movie critics and two major wins at France’s celebrated Cannes Film Festival have propelled “Volver” across the globe.
For the next few weeks the film is playing at the historic Fargo Theatre downtown, which shows smaller – and sometimes independent – films that would not normally end up in the larger theaters in the area.
Penélope Cruz – perhaps more recognized in America for being Tom Cruise’s ex-girlfriend than for her acting – stars as Raimunda, a middle-aged, working-class Spanish woman who lives with her headstrong daughter and drunk, perverted husband.
The film takes place in Cruz’s hometown of Madrid, Spain, and is shot entirely in Spanish.
Although English subtitles are provided, as with any movie in a foreign language, it becomes hard to pay attention to the visuals on the screen and the words below.
Watching a movie with subtitles does not allow for any “zoning out” by the viewer, since words come and go from the screen in seconds.
“Volver” requires the audience’s complete attention. But the film doesn’t have to try very hard to capture attention.
In Spanish the word “volver” means literally “to return,” and Almodóvar’s movie centers around a town’s superstitious belief in the dead returning to take care of “unfinished business.”
While visiting their ill aunt, Raimunda and her sister hear rumors that their mother has been taking care of their aunt, although nobody has seen her. Unfortunately, their mother has been dead for several years, burned alive in her own home.
The plot is gradually revealed, and not until more than halfway through “Volver” will it become even remotely apparent where the story is going. Even then, the suspense and mystery keeps the audience interested and fully involved in the film.
Cruz is incredibly believable as the strong, irritable and often flustered Raimunda. She handles her character’s unique personality well and shows America why she made it to Hollywood in the first place. Cruz plays a serious role that is perhaps unseen in her English films.
Almodóvar uses plain camera angles that give the film an ordinary feeling. Straight-on face shots are used frequently and “Volver” lacks the glossy Hollywood production that is seen in most films today. In a way this ordinariness feels refreshing.
At the same time, “Volver” does not feel sloppy. The film is made like a work of art. Alberto Iglesias’ musical score – which won him the 2006 European Film Award for Best Composer – is subtle, yet provides the audience with a cultural experience. The music adds to the on-screen action nicely, and provides a great backdrop for the film.
“Volver” is an experience quite unlike American movies, and it is an interesting taste of foreign film, as well as a great mystery.