I was shocked to see the queue to Cinema 6 where the last screening of Volver was to be held. Never realized that so many people would want to watch it! I mean, there’s always Bourne Ultimatum in Cinema 1, hello! (Snobbish bitch, me.) At any rate, my only aim was to make sure we get seats far away from the screen which we did. The film has already started, drat.
Aldomovar never disappoints. All the elements that make up an Aldomovar work are all present: mothers, witty one liners (the line “Ghosts don’t cry.” is its most memorable line; it is both kitschy yet has loads of implications), a slice of Spanish life, a stab at the national psyche, female and male character games, and irony. Add to that the elements of rape (or near rape), shots focused uncomfortably on bosoms and cleavages, murder, a sad song and you have a classic. Honestly though, I still will choose Todo Sobre Mi Madre over this. A critic that I came across wrote that one can’t be an enfant terrible for so long. I believe him. If we are already able to dissect Aldomovar and his work then has already repeated himself too much. Time for a new tactic, I guess.
Anyway, the acting is so – as expected - natural, realistic, and effortless. I always admire Spanish films for their clarity and sharpness and their ability to portray characters with so much depth. It’s just like being part of the whole thing! Also, the scenery shots almost always show the kind of life people in Spain live yet all is so effortless, unstaged, un-prop-ed. It’s actually very…provincial. It was said that Aldomovar was born in the same village where the film was shot. One can then say that like the title he, too, has come home.
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