Volver (2006)

After her death, a mother returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)

Stars:

Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 61 wins & 93 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Penélope Cruz	...	Raimunda
Carmen Maura	...	Irene
Lola Dueñas	...	Sole
Blanca Portillo	...	Agustina
Yohana Cobo	...	Paula
Chus Lampreave	...	Tía Paula
Antonio de la Torre	...	Paco
Carlos Blanco	...	Emilio
María Isabel Díaz Lago	...	Regina (as Mª Isabel Díaz)
Neus Sanz	...	Inés
Leandro Rivera	...	Auxiliar Producción
Pepa Aniorte	...	Vecina
Yolanda Ramos	...	Presentadora TV
Elvira Cuadrupani	...	Vecina
María Alfonsa Rosso	...	Vecina (as Alfonsa Rosso)

Storyline

Raimunda, her daughter Paula and her sister Sole travel from Madrid to the windy and superstitious village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to visit the grave of their mother Irene, who died years ago in a fire with her husband. Then they visit Irene's sister Paula, an old senile aunt that raised Raimunda after the death of her parents that insists to tell them that Irene is alive and living with her; later, they go to the house of her neighbor and friend Agustina, who gives a support to Paula. They return to Madrid, and after a hard day of work, Raimunda meets her daughter completely distraught at the bus stop waiting for her. When they arrive home, Paula tells her mother that she killed her unemployed father Paco, who was completely drunk and tried to rape her. While Raimunda hides his body, Sole calls her to tell that their beloved aunt Paula has died. The next morning, Sole travels alone to the funeral, and when she returns to Madrid, she finds her mother hidden in the trunk of her car...

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Plot Keywords:

rape | death | secret | ghost | abusive father | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's title translates in English as "to return."

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Goofs

(at around 1h 30 mins) When Agustina is talking on the TV show about her mother's vanishing, she says that it happened "hace ya casi cuatro años" ("nearly four years ago"), yet her lips are clearly saying "hace ya casi tres años" ("nearly three years ago").

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Quotes

Sole: Mom?
Irene: Hum?
Sole: There's something you want me to do, isn't?
Irene: Cut my hair.
Sole: I mean if there's something you couldn't do alive and doesn't let you rest.
Irene: There are always things undone. Or bad done. And my life has been no exception. Look, I don't know if I can fix them, but if I can, it's up to me to do it.
Sole: [after a long silence] Customers will arrive soon. What are we going to do?
Irene: We attend to them. I'll help you.
Sole: But I can't introduce you as my mother. They all know I'm an orphan.
Irene: Then I'll pretend to be foreign.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Smagsdommerne: Episode #4.2 (2006)

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Soundtracks

A Good Thing
by Saint Etienne
Written by Sarah Cracknell, L. Oakley, M. Waterfield
Administered by Kobalt Music Group Worldwide Kojam
(p)2005 by Saint Etienne
Under exclusive license to Sanctuary Records Group Ltd
ISRC: GBAJE0501385

User Reviews

A telenovela in script, a masterpiece in screen.

I'm a huge fan of Pedro Almodovar and this movie was no disappointment.

I mean if you would just read the script it looks like a telenovela but it's directed in such a way that it becomes this very human drama that leaves you in a void after watching.

I would definitely suggest you watching this if you're into dramas with great acting and of course, Pedro Almodovar.

Very real, human and emotional.

8/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics Pictures [United States]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

To Return

Filming Locations:

Almagro, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR7,450,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$202,000, 5 November 2006

Gross USA:

$12,899,867

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$85,585,177

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, El Deseo, Ministerio de Cultura

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1