''Volver'' (, meaning "to go back") is a 2006 Spanish

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

that includes Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura,

Lola Dueñas María Dolores Dueñas Navarro (born 6 October 1971) better known as Lola Dueñas is a Spanish actress. Born in Madrid, she is the daughter of Nicolás Dueñas and studied in the Teatro de La Abadía of Madrid. She decided to relocate to Par ...

Blanca Portillo Blanca Portillo Martínez de Velasco (born 15 June 1963) is a Spanish actress. Career Portillo started as an actress in several small theater productions before graduating in drama from the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático. One of he ...

, Yohana Cobo, and

Chus Lampreave María Jesús Lampreave Pérez (11 December 1930 – 4 April 2016), known professionally as Chus Lampreave, was a Spanish character actress who starred in more than 70 films. She is internationally known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodóv ...

. Revolving around an eccentric family of women from a wind-swept region south of Madrid, Cruz stars as Raimunda, a working-class woman forced to go to great lengths to protect her 14-year-old daughter Paula. To top off the family crisis, her mother Irene returns from the dead to tie up loose ends. The plot originates in Almodóvar's earlier film '' The Flower of My Secret'' (1995), where it features as a novel which is rejected for publication but is stolen to form the screenplay of a film named ''The Freezer''. Drawing inspiration from the Italian neorealism of the late 1940s to early 1950s and the work of pioneering directors such as

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

, Luchino Visconti, and Pier Paolo Pasolini, ''Volver'' addresses themes like sexual abuse, loneliness and death, mixing the genres of

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

, tragedy,

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

, and magic realism. Set in the La Mancha region, Almodóvar's place of birth, the filmmaker cited his upbringing as a major influence on many aspects of the plot and the characters. ''Volver'' premiered at the

2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official selection Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the ...

, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It received critical acclaim and ultimately won two awards at the festival, for Best Actress (shared by the six main actresses) and

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

. The film's Spanish premiere was held on 10 March 2006 in Puertollano, where the filming had taken place. Cruz was nominated for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first Spanish woman ever to be nominated in that category.

Plot

Raimunda ( Penélope Cruz) and Sole (

) are sisters who grew up in Alcanfor de las Infantas, a small village in La Mancha, but now both live in Madrid. Their parents had died in a fire three years before. Raimunda and her daughter Paula ( Yohana Cobo) live with Paula's father Paco ( Antonio de la Torre). When he attempts to rape Paula, claiming that he is not really her father, Paula stabs him to death in self-defense. Raimunda hides the corpse in the deep-freezer of a nearby restaurant with an absent owner, Emilio (Carlos Blanco). When members of a film crew happen upon the restaurant, Raimunda strikes a deal to cater for them, and finds herself back in the restaurant business. Meanwhile, Sole returns for the funeral of her elderly and dementia-stricken Aunt Paula (

). Aunt Paula's neighbour Agustina (

) confesses to Sole that she has heard Paula talking to the ghost of their mother Irene ( Carmen Maura). Sole encounters her mother's ghost herself, and when she returns to Madrid, she discovers that the ghost has stowed away in the trunk of her car. Sole agrees to let Irene stay with her and assist her with clients for her illicit hair salon, which she operates out of her apartment. Irene agrees to pose as a Russian immigrant who doesn't speak any Spanish. Irene questions why Raimunda hates her and is fearful of revealing her presence to Raimunda. Raimunda reveals to Paula that Paco was not her biological father, promising to tell her the whole story later. Agustina is diagnosed with terminal cancer and goes to Madrid for treatment. Raimunda visits her in the hospital. Agustina asks Raimunda if she has seen her mother's ghost. Agustina hopes that the ghost will be able to tell her about her own mother, who disappeared three years before. Raimunda leaves Paula with Sole, rents a van and transports the freezer to a convenient spot by the river Júcar. While staying in Sole's apartment, Paula meets her grandmother's ghost and grows close to her. The next night, Agustina comes to the restaurant, and reveals two startling secrets: her mother and Raimunda's father were having an affair, and her mother disappeared on the same day that Raimunda's parents died. Sole reveals to Raimunda that she has seen their mother's ghost, who is in the next room with Paula. Irene admits that she did not, in fact, die in the fire, and reveals the whole truth. The reason for Raimunda and Irene's estrangement is that Raimunda's father sexually abused her, resulting in the birth of Paula; thus, Paula is Raimunda's daughter and her sister. Irene tells Raimunda that she did not know about the abuse until Aunt Paula told her about it, and never forgave herself for not noticing it. Irene explains that she found her husband in bed with another woman and started the fire that killed them both. The ashes that had been presumed to be Irene's were, in fact, the ashes of Agustina's mother, the woman with whom Irene's husband was having an affair. After the fire, Irene wandered for several days in the countryside, until she decided that she wanted to turn herself in. But first, she wanted to say goodbye to Aunt Paula, who had lost the ability to look after herself and with whom Irene had been living prior to setting the fire. Paula welcomed Irene home as if nothing had happened, and Irene stayed, caring for her sister and expecting that the police would come soon to arrest her. Due to the superstitious and closed nature of the community, however, the police never came and the residents, accustomed to tales of the dead returning, explained the rare sightings of Irene as a ghost. The family reunites at Aunt Paula's house. Irene reveals her presence to Agustina, who believes her to be a ghost. Irene pledges to stay in the village and care for Agustina as her cancer worsens, saying to Raimunda that it was the least that she could do after killing Agustina's mother. Raimunda visits her mother at Agustina's house, and the two embrace and promise to repair their relationship.

Cast

* Penélope Cruz as Raimunda, a mother living in Madrid's suburbs * Carmen Maura as Irene Trujillo, the mother of Raimunda and Sole * Yohana Cobo as Paula *

as Agustina *

as Soledad ("Sole") *

as Aunt Paula * Antonio de la Torre as Paco * María Isabel Díaz as Regina * Carlos Blanco as Emilio * Neus Sanz as Inés * Leandro Rivera as Auxiliar Producción * Yolanda Ramos as Presentadora TV

Production

Origins

''Volver'' was first developed by Pedro Almodóvar, based on a story actress Marisa Paredes told him during the production of their 1995 film '' The Flower of My Secret'', another film set in the La Mancha region. The story revolved around a heartbroken Puerto Rican man who opts to kill his mother-in-law in hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife, who left him and broke off contact, at her mother's funeral. Owning a restaurant, he leaves it in his neighbour's care, when he is about to kill his victim. Fascinated by the story and its background, Almodóvar decided on incorporating elements of it into the screenplay of ''The Flower of My Secret'', making it the plot of a movie-within-the-movie based on the main character's novel in the film. While working on the script for ''Volver'', he would however settle on outlining the role of the neighbour Raimunda, as the film's central character, while Emilio, the Puerto Rican, eventually became a supporting role only. Almodóvar says of the story that "it is precisely about death...More than about death itself, the screenplay talks about the rich culture that surrounds death in the region of La Mancha, where I was born. It is about the way (not tragic at all) in which various female characters, of different generations, deal with this culture".''A Volver Diary'' by Pedro Almodóvar
/ref>

Casting

Penélope Cruz was the first reported to have landed one of the starring roles in ''Volver'', having previously worked with Almodóvar on his films '' Live Flesh'' (1997) and '' All About My Mother'' (1999). In preparing for her role, the actress watched Italian neorealism films from the 1950s, many of them starring

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

and Claudia Cardinale, to study "the Italian ''maggiorate''" that Almodóvar envisioned for her performance in the film. Cruz, who had to wear a prosthetic bottom while filming, noted the role of Raimunda as "the best gift an actress can get". Carmen Maura, the star of Almodóvar's debut '' Pepi, Luci, Bom'' (1980) and five additional films with the director, was the first to be cast in the film alongside Cruz. Her engagement marked her first collaboration with Almodóvar after a period of 18 years and a reported fallout during the production of '' Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' (1989). Maura commented on the " borderline character" of Irene as a "very complicated ole to play.

Music

The tango "Volver" by

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...

with lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera is converted to flamenco and is sung in the movie with the voice of Estrella Morente and lip synced by Penélope Cruz. The dance tune playing at the party prior to Raimunda's lip syncing is called "Good Thing" by the British three-piece indie-dance combo Saint Etienne.

Reception

Box office

In the US alone, the film had made $12,897,993 (15.4% of the total) at the box office after 26.4 weeks of release in 689 theatres. The box office figure from the rest of the world is somewhere in the region of $71,123,059 (84.6% of the total) according to Box Office Mojo. The total worldwide gross is estimated at $84,021,052. As of 22 January 2007 the film had grossed $12,241,181 at the Spanish box office.

Critical reception

''Fotogramas'', Spain's top film magazine, gave it a five-star rating. Upon its U.S. release,

A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...

made it an "NYT Critics' Pick" and wrote:

To relate the details of the narrative—death, cancer, betrayal, parental abandonment, more death—would create an impression of dreariness and woe. But nothing could be further from the spirit of ''Volver'' which is buoyant without being flip, and consoling without ever becoming maudlin. Mr. Almodóvar acknowledges misfortune—and takes it seriously—from a perspective that is essentially comic. Very few filmmakers have managed to smile so convincingly in the face of misery and fatality: Jean Renoir and Billy Wilder come immediately to mind, and Mr. Almodóvar, if he is not yet their equal, surely belongs in their company. ''Volver'' is often dazzling in its artifice— José Luis Alcaine's ripe cinematography, Alberto Iglesias's suave, heart-tugging score— but it is never false. It draws you in, invites you to linger and makes you eager to return.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave it his highest rating of four stars, calling it "enchanting, gentle, transgressive" and notes "Almodovar is above all a director who loves women—young, old, professional, amateur, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, dead, alive. Here his cheerful plot combines life after death with the concealment of murder, success in the restaurant business, the launching of daughters and with completely serendipitous solutions to (almost) everyone's problems". As of 2020, the film has a "Certified Fresh" rating from critics at Rotten Tomatoes, scoring a 91% based on 157 "Certified fresh" reviews out of 172 critics, and an average rating of 7.81/10, with the general consensus being "''Volver'' catches director Pedro Almodóvar and star Penélope Cruz at the peak of their respective powers, in service of a layered, thought-provoking film". It also has a score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006. * 2nd – Marjorie Baumgarten, '' The Austin Chronicle'' * 3rd – Glenn Kenny, ''

Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

'' * 3rd – Kevin Crust, '' Los Angeles Times'' * 3rd – Richard Corliss, ''Time'' magazine * 3rd – Philip Martin, '' Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' * 4th – Andrew O'Hehir,

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

* 4th – Peter Travers, '' Rolling Stone'' * 4th – Ray Bennett, '' The Hollywood Reporter'' * 5th –

Desson Thomson Desson Patrick Thomson is a former speechwriter for the Obama administration and former film critic for ''The Washington Post''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reuniting with his birth father. Biography ...

, '' The Washington Post'' * 6th – Claudia Puig, '' USA Today'' * 6th – Scott Tobias, '' The A.V. Club'' * 7th – Kenneth Turan, '' Los Angeles Times'' * 8th –

, '' The New York Times'' * 8th – Keith Phipps, '' The A.V. Club'' * 8th – Kirk Honeycutt, '' The Hollywood Reporter'' * 8th –

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

, '' The New York Times'' * 9th – Shawn Levy, '' The Oregonian'' * 10th – David Ansen, '' Newsweek'' * 10th – Lou Lumenick, '' New York Post'' *; General top ten * Carina Chocano, '' Los Angeles Times'' * Carrie Rickey, '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'' * Joe Morgenstern, '' The Wall Street Journal'' * Liam Lacey and Rick Groen, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' Sight & Sound magazine's critics poll named ''Volver'' the 2nd-best film of 2006. In 2019, '' The Guardian'' ranked the film 46th in its 100 best films of the 21st century list.

Awards and nominations

''Volver'' received a standing ovation when it was screened as part of the official selection at the

, and won the

award as well as the award for Best Actress — which was shared by the six stars of the film. , - , align = "center" rowspan = "14" , 2006 , , rowspan = "2" , 59th Cannes Film Festival , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo and Chus Lampreave , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Screenplay , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , rowspan = "6" ,

19th European Film Awards The 19th European Film Awards were presented on December 2, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. The winners were selected by the members of the European Film Academy The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came toge ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "6" , , - , Best Director , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Screenwriter , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Cinematographer , , José Luis Alcaine , , , - , Best Composer , , Alberto Iglesias , , , - , rowspan = "4" ,

11th Satellite Awards The 11th Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2006, were given on December 18, 2006. Special achievement awards Auteur Award (for his visionary work as a filmmaker) – Robert Altman Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , Best Actress – Drama , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Director , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Screenplay – Original , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , rowspan = "2" , 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , align = "center" rowspan = "34" , 2007 , , 78th National Board of Review Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , 7th Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

64th Golden Globe Awards The 64th Golden Globe Awards were aired on January 15, 2007. The ceremony was broadcast live on NBC. Indicating the impact that animated films have had on the film industry, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced in early 2006 that a G ...

, , Best Actress – Drama , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

12th Critics' Choice Awards The 12th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 14, 2007, honoring the finest achievements of 2006 filmmaking. The event was held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on E!. Top 10 films (in a ...

, , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , 5th Golden Eagle Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , , - , rowspan = "14" ,

21st Goya Awards The 21st Annual Goya Awards took place at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in Madrid, Spain on 28 January 2007. ''Volver ''Volver'' (, meaning "to go back") is a 2006 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "14" , , - , Best Director , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Original Screenplay , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Original Score , , Alberto Iglesias , , , - , rowspan = "3" , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Maura , , , - , Lola Dueñas , , , - , Blanca Portillo , , , - ,

Best Cinematography This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, , José Luis Alcaine , , , - , Best Costume Design , , Sabine Daigeler , , , - , Best Make-Up and Hairstyles , , Massimo Gattabrusi and Ana Lozano , , , - ,

Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...

, , Salvador Parra , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Toni Novella , , , - ,

Best Sound This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...

, , , , , - , 13th Screen Actors Guild Awards , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , , , - , rowspan = "2" , 60th British Academy Film Awards , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , rowspan = "5" , 16th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actress in a Leading Role , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "5" , , - , rowspan = "3" , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Blanca Portillo , , , - , Lola Dueñas , , , - , Carmen Maura , , , - , Best Film Actress in a Minor Role , , Chus Lampreave , , , - ,

32nd César Awards The 32nd César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, honoured the best films of 2006 in France and took place on 24 February 2007 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The ceremony was chaired by Clau ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Film , , , , , - ,

79th Academy Awards The 79th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2006 and took place February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

, , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - ,

12th Empire Awards The 12th Empire Awards ceremony (also known as the Empire Readers Awards), presented by the British film magazine ''Empire'', honored the best films of 2006 and took place on 27 March 2007. During the ceremony, Empire presented Empire Awards in ...

, , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , 12th Forqué Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , , - ,

French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Awards The French Syndicate of Cinema Critics (french: Syndicat français de la critique de cinéma et des films de télévision) has, each year since 1946, awarded a prize ("Prix de la critique", English: "Critics Prize"), the Prix Méliès, to the bes ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Film , , , ,

References

External links

Audio
an
Transcript
from a 4 August 2006 interview about ''Volver'' with Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz at the National Film Theatre * * * * *
''Volver'' Production Notes
from moviegrande.com {{Authority control 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films Best Film Goya Award winners Castilla–La Mancha in fiction European Film Awards winners (films) Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by Pedro Almodóvar Films featuring a Best Actress Goya Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Goya Award-winning performance Films scored by Alberto Iglesias Films set in Madrid Films shot in Madrid Fiction about hoaxes Incest in film Spanish comedy-drama films 2000s Spanish-language films Golden Eagle Award (Russia) for Best Foreign Language Film winners El Deseo films 2000s Spanish films