ONE of the early favourites to take the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival is Volver, the latest film from Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar.

The film focuses on three generations of women as they try and survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality. It stars Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura and Lola Duecs.

The women in question are Raimunda, who is married to an unemployed labourer and has a teenage daughter; Sole, her sister, who makes a living as a hairdresser; and the mother of both, who died in a fire along with her husband. This character appears first to her sister and then to Sole, although the people with whom she has some unresolved matters are Raimunda and her neighbour in the village, Agustina.

In explaining the theme of the film at Cannes, Almodovar told assembled journalists: “This is my deepest return ever to my origins. It is the theme which touches me. I felt something really particular, a kind of reconciliation with my roots. I was born in La Mancha, I lived in Madrid, I travelled a lot, but this film above all reconciled me with my youth.

“In Volver, I speak of the women around me when I was a child. I was brought up by women, the men being in fields, whom I practically never saw. Volver speaks of the way I grew up, listening to these women. I would hear them singing whenever I went along the riverbanks with my mother; I accompanied her from my very earliest age.

“That’s how I learned a lot about dramatic art; there are many roles that I have written which were inspired by my sisters or my mother, by characters firmly anchored in reality, even if they belong to the realm of fiction. They are characters who spin extraordinary tales, which has always immensely impressed me.”

When it was first shown at the festival, it received a standing ovation and led many critics to hail it as Almodovar’s finest work yet – no mean achievement in light of past hits, Talk To Her and All About My Mother. The acting is considered to be typically first-rate, while the themes – of abuse and death – sensitively handled.

The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, spoke for many when it noted: “Penelope Cruz has never looked lovelier or acted better as a prickly but resourceful woman whose long-held secret about the father of her teenage daughter is revealed only upon the appearance of her dead mother as a ghost.”

It added: “It says a great deal about Almodovar’s skill as a filmmaker that he can weave whimsical humor and stark drama together in such a winning fashion. It’s hard not to believe audiences will respond warmly.

Whether Volver will win the Palme d’Or remains to be seen. But there’s no denying that Almodovar is an exceptional talent.

When asked what made Almodovar so special, Penelope Cruz simply stated: “There is one and only one Pedro, he is my priority in all fields. He writes for women who are 14, 35, 50 or 80 years old, this film is perfect example; there are lots of female characters of all ages in his films. I’m sure that my career wouldn’t have been the same without Pedro, my life wouldn’t have been the same without him. I hope that in the future that this will continue.”

Ken Loach takes Palme d’Or

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