AFI FEST 2006

by Ari

 
 
The good folks at the AFI are at it again with a truly sensational line-up for this year’s festival. Highlights include David Lynch’s Inland Empire, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, William Friedkin’s Bug, and many, many more. The AFI Fest began on November 1st and ends on November 12th, with over a hundred screenings of films from all around the globe. It’s impossible to see everything, so 20 movies over the next week will have to do. Now, for the movies....

Volver - Pedro Almodovar

Almodovar understands how to bring strong, natural, and fully-realized female characters to the screen. His women are real people with real emotions - women that exist for a purpose beyond the tired routines so many writers use them for. Penelope Cruz has been wasted in so many American movies because studios insist on casting her for one blatantly obvious reason: she’s beautiful. Cruz has stated that many of her performances have been limited by the one-dimensional and rather unimaginative characters she’s been hired to play. It’s far easier for Cruz to appear in a movie and look sexy, without having to say or do much else.

Now that she’s given the single best female performance of 2006 thus far with Volver, perhaps American studios will wake up and realize she possesses tremendous ability. Almodovar provides his muse with a terrifically charming and rich lead character in one of the most effortlessly pleasing and moving dramas released this year. Volver examines the nature of love and forgiveness within a small family living in Madrid, mixing quirky humor and touching drama into a heartfelt, enchanting cinematic escape.

Raimunda (Cruz) lives with her teenage daughter and deadbeat, scummy husband, while attending to the needs of her sister Sole (Lola Duenas) and their elderly Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave). According to Paula, their deceased mother has returned from the grave to help and care for her as she approaches death, something the sisters obviously find completely ludicrous. Raimunda and her daughter have enough trouble after the young teenager kills her father in defense of his attempted rape. However, once Aunt Paula dies, Raimunda and Sole’s mother does indeed reappear as a ghost, but only to Sole and for purposes unknown. Sole keeps her mother (Carmen Maura) in her apartment, never revealing the truth to Raimunda until the time is right. Once their mother comes back from the dead, events from the past are explored and secrets are revealed. These secrets involve everyone in the family, along with Raimunda’s closest friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is dying of cancer. The twists are particularly thoughtful and sensible, never reaching for the absurd or losing any dramatic impact.

The story is an odd blend of themes and emotions that deal with motherhood, regret, loss, and love, but Almodovar develops each character and issue with delicacy, humor, and heart. The end result is a warm and memorable account of one of the most engaging and unusual of families. Cruz leads the brilliant cast with her exceptional performance as Raimunda. She’s a real, beautiful, and flawed woman who discovers the strength within herself and the people she loves. She’s attractive, vulnerable, hilarious, and heart-breaking. This is glorious work by a talented actress in her finest role.

No review of Volver is complete without mentioning the colorful cinematography, which is as rich and beautiful as the characters on display. Volver is one of the great surprises of the year. Viva Pedro, indeed.