"Volver" **** (out of four): It's appropriate that the title of this Pedro Almodóvar film translates as "to come back" since it signals a return to form for the famously female-centric director.
It’s appropriate that the title of Pedro Almodóvar’s film “Volver” translates as “to come back” since it signals a return to the kind of whimsical Spanish soap operas that the famously female-centric director does best. All the Almodóvar trademarks are here: mother-daughter issues, unworthy men and, of course, an almost entirely female cast. Having apparently exercised the demons that brought about his meditative noir, “Bad Education”, Mr. Almodóvar’s mood has lightened considerably. From the wonderful opening tracking shot of a cemetery full of women madly scrubbing tombstones in a windstorm, it’s clear that we’re in classic Almodóvar country. The director positively transports us into his unique vision of a Spain filled with bright colors, no-nonsense women and family melodrama.
