Volver (I'm Coming Back)

The new Pedro Almodóvar film is hitting theaters, so I’m thinking about catching a showing next week.

SPOILER ALERT !! :-)

According to the plot summary on Broadway: "Three generations of women navigate life's storms and superstitions, madness and even death, all thanks to their resilient spirits, a few white lies, and sheer endurance. Raimund is married to an unemployed laborer, and they have a rebellious teenage daughter. Her sister, Soli, works as a hairstylist, and the mother... well, she's dead... or maybe she isn't. As the mystery unravels through a series of hilarious mishaps, this small family finds the answers they need and manages to rediscover the warmth of their bonds..."

The reviews over on IMDb are actually looking pretty solid— http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441909/

Has anyone seen it yet? What are your thoughts?

not

steelstag4 said:"Three generations of women... life's chaos and bad luck, madness and superstition, even death... good hearts, the occasional lie, and endless grit... married to some unemployed laborer... a rebellious teenage daughter... a sister... a hairdresser who’s also a mother, except the mother is dead... or maybe she isn't..."

Hmm. How many episodes are we talking about?

Let me guess: the mother is actually just a guy who changed his gender in his youth because he grew up obsessed with watching Marlene Dietrich films and secretly loved it when his older neighbor—who was a high-end escort before becoming a massage therapist—used him?

I caught a quick screening of this a couple of months back. It feels like Pedro Almodóvar is trying to find his way back to his roots. I’m not entirely sure yet—to get a real sense of it, I’ll probably have to sit down and rewatch the whole thing from start to finish in English. While I feel like Jean-Luc Godard lost his spark a long time ago compared to other European directors, I don't think you can afford to skip over Almodóvar just yet.

steelstag4 said:Content from the Broadway page: "Three generations of women navigate life's storms and superstitions, madness, and even death, all thanks to their resilient nature, a few white lies, and sheer endurance. Raimund is married to an unemployed laborer, and they have a rebellious teenage daughter. Her sister, Soli, works as a hairstylist, and the mother—well, she's dead... or maybe she isn't. As the mystery unfolds through a series of chaotic events, this small family will find answers to their questions and hopefully rediscover the warmth of their bonds..."

I would ban this. It’s terrible. Who wrote this description? Half of it is factually incorrect, not to mention the spoilers...
I think a moderator should take this down or at least censor it. 👎

The movie itself is fine, though I tend to prefer those high-intensity dramas with more momentum. This is a European production, which tells you everything you need to know right away. It relies on the script rather than special effects.
I heard quite a few people walked out mid-screening. From what I gathered, most were just kids expecting something like Miami Vice (there was a secret premiere at AMC Theatres) instead of a Spanish drama.

Just watch the film; I thought it was decent. 🙂

Take a look at this.

neonhound32 said:I thought the movie was good, but I usually prefer those intense dramas with a real plot. It’s got that European feel to it, which tells you everything you need to know right away. It's driven by the story rather than just flashy special effects.
I heard a lot of people walked out halfway through. From what I gathered, most were just kids expecting something like Miami Vice (it was a secret screening at AMC Theatres) instead of a Spanish drama.
Just give it a watch. I liked it. 🙂

hehe, my boyfriend and I were also hoping for some Miami Vice action, but we stuck it out until the end.. Personally, I found it a little slow, but Penélope Cruz is amazing—she's gorgeous, and honestly, her shoes in this movie are great : )... the film isn't bad at all, really. I just went in wanting an action flick that day, so maybe I was a bit biased before it even started : )

True, since we’re on the subject of Penélope Cruz... I wouldn't say she's my usual type, but she looks incredible in this film! 👍
Maybe it's because she's surrounded by all those older women... I don't know. 🤣

What’s actually wrong with the movie description, besides that tiny little spoiler?

A little spoiler? That’s enough to turn me off right there. 😉

The daughter isn't even a rebel—not by any stretch of the imagination—and that line about her mother... good grief. It really ruins the whole experience for me. 👎

It isn't playing in theaters just yet; you'll have to wait until Thursday!

neonhound32 said:Look, it’s an international production, which tells you everything you need to know! The whole movie is driven by the actual plot rather than just relying on flashy special effects.

🤣 🤣

Well, the film was directed by Almodóvar, and doesn't that say a whole lot about its quality? It's a classic piece of international cinema, isn't it? 🤣

Maria Peterson, your jaw is going to lock up from laughing that hard. 😉

Maria Peterson said:it's not in theaters yet. Only starting this Thursday.

Oh, right. That was just the special preview screening. And here I was, fully prepared to go catch it tomorrow. Typical. grrr.

I watched it without subtitles, so I was pretty much flying blind half the time. 😕
He’s playing that same old character we saw in Femmes au bord de la crise de nerfs and Que he hecho yo para merecer esto. 😍
Penelope looks absolutely stunning here!😁
It actually reminds me a bit of his older stuff—you know, those classic family dramas or comedies. It leans into that theatrical, TV-movie vibe every now and then, but honestly, it doesn't really bother me.

Well, like the title says I’M RETURRRNING TO YOUUU uhm... wow, this place sucks...😁😁 ...anyway... Pedro managed to push through to his 16th feature, and here he is, coming home—which is really just a way of saying he's circling back. He’s looking at family photos, flipping through albums, walking the streets of his hometown while it pours rain outside... it’s heavy. When you start heading back, it usually means you’ve reached some kind of end. I hope it doesn't actually feel that way, because it would be a shame if that's all we ever get from Pedro. Why is he returning? We've heard it a thousand times... it's all there. Carmen Maura shows up before everyone else 😍... though it's honestly depressing to see how much she's aged. It feels like twenty years have passed since 'What have I done?' ...returning to the small town after digging just beneath the surface of the big city... women, women, women... women in high heels... stacks of photos... tons of color... heavy production... a perfect soundtrack... even a musical interlude in that 'Habl...' style... and Penelope just steals the spotlight from everyone else, even when she's just washing dishes in a sink... she covers up most of the flaws and misses. To me, it feels like a much calmer Volver... the meta-film stunts are mostly gone (okay, maybe a little), the wild plot twists, and honestly, none of that madness from his brilliant early era. It was smart of Pedro to make a simple movie... so, what can you even say? Everything is brilliant... but I can't hide my total sadness about it <--emo moment 😁😁😁 ...what's missing is substance... the jelly in the donut, the diesel in the truck, the bill at the Metropolitan Opera... I want emotions... actual chemistry between these women... but let's not tear Pedro apart just because of an old folk song

Jose Miller17 said:It was a smart move for Pedro to keep the film so simple... and honestly, 'what can you even say about it' when everything is just brilliant? But I can't help feeling a massive sense of sadness about it all <--total emo moment 😁😁😁 ... what I’m really missing is that substance... you know, like the jam inside a donut, or diesel in a truck, or even just an expensive bill from a boutique in NYC... I want those raw emotions, that chemistry between those lonely women... but let's not hang Pedro just because of some old folk saying about the gallows...

Wait, did you watch it with subtitles?? Does that mean that's really it? Like, I didn't miss anything at all?? 😕
Well, we aren't going to lynch him, but still... *sniff*...👎 It feels a little thin, doesn't it?

Finally caught it. I have to say, seeing a theater packed halfway full—and it wasn't even a weekend—was actually kind of a pleasant surprise. Plus, the best part? Zero distractions. No one was slurping snacks, rustling bags, or scrolling through their phones. It was pure bliss.

Ehm, regarding 🙂
: I’m not sure how you can claim there’s no emotion in it, milk (😬). Maybe we just approached the story from a different angle or experienced it through a different lens altogether. That said, I really loved the rest of your breakdown 🙂
.
And this one...

neonhound32 said:I’d ban this post immediately. This is just awful. Who even wrote this review? Half of the information is factually wrong, not to mention the massive spoilers..
Honestly, a moderator should probably pull this down or at least censor it.. 👎

...but what exactly was "wrong" about the write-up above? 😕
Aside from a few spoilers, I suppose. Luckily, I only skimmed the text I copied and pasted, so none of it was stuck in my head by the time I sat down in the theater.

Bottom line: the movie gets my recommendation. 🙂

neonhound32 said:...well, what exactly was wrong with how it was written above? 😕
Aside from the minor spoilers. Fortunately, I only skimmed what I copy-pasted, so I didn't actually remember any of it when I sat down in the theater.

Exactly. If there is one thing I can't stand, it's spoilers. 🙂

Movies can be more than just stories... they're an experience. I mean, what else is emotion if not how you feel it? A lot happens to these characters in such a short span of time, yet they navigate everything with this surreal ease.
That’s actually what got to me—that sting from Pedro Almodóvar at the end when he dropped the "the dead don't cry" line. It really hit home. I was so incredibly sad about it (worried) that I actually tried to hide it. ;-)