Volver (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006) 1
On 35mm with Lucía, Ben, Ana, and Ryan, at the Clay Theater, on 30 December, 2006, at 19:00.
This was a very attractive film and I’d like to see it again. Almodóvar’s ability to direct strong female characters (or an entire cast of them) puts anything out of Hollywood to shame, though his referencing of Bellissima and Mildred Pierce reminds me that it wasn’t always this way. In fact, in comparison to Anna Magnani, Penélope Cruz seems like she could be blown over by a light gust.
This is only the first time I’ve really seen Penélope Cruz act. Certainly there was nothing memorable about her performance in Abre los ojos or Blow, and wild horses couldn’t drag me to see Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
(**)