Volver is Almodovar at his best. The almost totally female cast are exceptional, some of whom are regular choices of the director. Carmen Maura as Irene is terrific as is Yohana Cobo as young Paula, Chus Lampreave as her older self and the always wonderful Blanca Portillo as Augustina. But towering above them all is the brilliant Penelope Cruz in her multi award nomination performance as Raimunda. She seems almost always on the edge of tears even though this is a truly warm and funny movie. It was superb.
Here she is again in Broken Embraces, this time in flash back. Penelope Cruz plays Lena, the old love of lead actor Lluis Homar as Harry Caine who is looking back to the time he wasn't blind. A homage to film directors, Almodovar takes us backwards and forwards to a past full of surprises with a rich palette of colour. It may be melodramatic at times, but it is very well constructed and the last reel is perfect. And here again is the exceptional Blanca Portillo as Judit. There is sadness in the story, but there is also style and visual excellence, almost theatrical.
I'm not sure what Almodovar was trying to give us in I'm So Excited. Was it a farce, a black comedy, an old sitcom or a mash up of all three. For a moment I thought we were going to get stuck on board that plane for the duration, fortunately not. Did I get tired of the endless banter between the grossly over the top gay stewards? Yes. But were the few passengers in business class worth watching? Certainly. Of these I only recognised Lola Duenas from earlier Almodovar movies, and she was by far the most interesting character. We do see Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, but only for a minute or so right at the start. In a cameo role is the stunning Blanca Suarez (soon to star in Almodovar's The Skin We Live In). Not my favourite film by this director.
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