Almodovar returns

"Volver" is a Spanish word that literally means "to return" but is used here to mean "coming back." Indeed, this whole film is a kind of coming back for its makers; Pedro Almodovar returns to his roots as a man of La Mancha, and Penelope Cruz returns to the cinema of her origin where she is obviously most at home. \nAlmodovar's films are often lively, celebratory visions of the world. He is noted for his liberal use of the color red and his subtle object metaphors that give silent clues to the motivations of his characters. (Watch for Cruz's use of knives.) Perhaps most importantly, he is known for his deep, empathetic understanding of women.\nWith "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "All About My Mother," "Talk to Her," and now with "Volver," Almodovar has consistently written roles for strong, complex women who can often be as flawed as they are impeccable. Penelope Cruz's Raimunda, the main character of "Volver," is just such a woman.\nThe film revolves around Raimunda and the dramatic and sometimes ridiculous events that afflict her life over the course of just a few months. Early in the film, she comes home from work to find that her daughter has just killed her father for fear of being raped by him. Almost methodically, Raimunda cleans up the blood of her slain husband and stashes the body away. \nThough she is noticeably shaken, her instinct to protect her daughter is so strong that she feels she has no choice but to hide the body and move on with her life as if her husband has just left her. She caters for a restaurant, deals with the death of a beloved aunt and copes with rumors of her dead mother's ghost appearing in her home village. One of the funniest and best-written sequences in the film has the supposed ghost of Raimunda's mother, played by the incomparable Carmen Maura, stowing away in her daughter Sole's car and talking her into letting her dead mother hide out in her apartment. \nAlmodovar uses locations well, and the production design is beautiful. La Mancha, a flat expansive area of Spain, is the backdrop for much of the film. Almodovar was raised there and has said that he felt the villages produced so many artists because there is nothing to look at, so you can use the vast plains as a canvas, painting your fantasies and stories on the landscape between the land and the horizon. \nIn the audio commentary and an interview with Almodovar, the director discusses how that folklore and spirituality played a large role in his childhood. Besides the commentary with Almodovar and Cruz, the DVD features some good behind-the-scenes footage and in-depth interviews with the director and lead actresses. Take a look at the trailers as well; there are some films that are worth looking for. In addition, the DVD features photo and poster galleries that make it a cut above your average DVD release.