''Volver'' (, meaning "to return") is a 2006 Spanish

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...

. The film features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

that includes

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

Carmen Maura María del Carmen García Maura (born 15 September 1945) is a Spanish actress. In a career that has spanned six decades, she has starred in films such as '' Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'', '' ¡Ay Carmela!'', '' Common Wealth'', an ...

Lola Dueñas María Dolores Dueñas Navarro (born 6 October 1971), better known as Lola Dueñas, is a Spanish actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two Goya Awards for Best Actress. In addition to her contributions to Spanish cine ...

Blanca Portillo Blanca Portillo Martínez de Velasco (born 15 June 1963) is a Spanish film, television, and stage actress. She has also worked as theatre director and producer. She made her feature film debut in ''Entre rojas'' (1995). She became popular for he ...

Yohana Cobo Yohana Cobo (born 12 January 1985) is a Spanish actress who began her career as a child actress. She is best known for her role in the film '' Volver'' (2006), which earned her a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Filmography Films *1 ...

, and

Chus Lampreave María Jesús Lampreave Pérez (11 December 1930 – 4 April 2016), known professionally as Chus Lampreave, was a Spanish character actress who starred in more than 70 films. She is known internationally for her roles in films by Pedro Almodó ...

. Revolving around an eccentric family of women from a wind-swept region south of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Cruz stars as Raimunda, a working-class woman forced to go to great lengths to protect her 14-year-old daughter Paula. To top off the family crisis, her mother Irene returns from the dead to tie up loose ends. The plot originates in Almodóvar's earlier film ''

The Flower of My Secret ''The Flower of My Secret'' () is a 1995 drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 68th Academy Awards, but it was not selected as one of the fina ...

'' (1995), where it features as a novel which is rejected for publication but is stolen to form the screenplay of a film named ''The Freezer''. Drawing inspiration from the

Italian neorealism Italian neorealism (), also known as the Golden Age of Italian Cinema, was a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They p ...

of the late 1940s to early 1950s and the work of pioneering directors such as

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

, and

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

, ''Volver'' addresses themes like sexual abuse, loneliness and death, mixing the genres of

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

, and

magic realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical re ...

. Set in the

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural region, natural and historical region in the provinces of Spain, Spanish provinces of province of Albacete, Albacete, province of Cuenca, Cuenca, province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real and province of Toledo, Toledo. It ...

region, Almodóvar's place of birth, the filmmaker cited his upbringing as a major influence on many aspects of the plot and the characters. ''Volver'' premiered at the

2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai served as jury president for the main competition, the first Chinese to preside over the jury. English filmmaker Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or for th ...

, where it competed for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

. It received critical acclaim and ultimately won two awards at the festival, for Best Actress (shared by the six main actresses) and

Best Screenplay This list of screenwriting awards for film is an index to articles on notable awards given for film screenwriting. The list is organized by region and country of the awards venue or sponsor, but winners are not necessarily restricted to people fro ...

. The film's Spanish premiere was held on 10 March 2006 in

Puertollano Puertollano () is a municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha. The city has a population of 45,539 (2022). Contrasting to the largely rural character of the region, Puertollano stands o ...

, where the filming had taken place. It was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar for the

79th Academy Awards The 79th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2006 and took place February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

, making the January shortlist. Cruz was nominated for the 2006

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

, making her the first Spanish woman ever to be nominated in that category.

Plot

Raimunda and her daughter, Paula, live with Raimunda’s husband, Paco, who Paula believes is her father. When Paco attempts to rape Paula, saying that he is not really her father, Paula stabs him to death in self-defense. Claiming her husband has run off, Raimunda hides his corpse in the deep-freezer of a shut-down nearby restaurant she is minding for the absent owner, Emilio. When members of a film crew come to the restaurant to cater a week's meals, the resourceful Raimunda strikes a deal to earn much needed money in her husband’s absence. Though they both now live in

, Raimunda and Sole are sisters who grew up in Alcanfor, a small village in

. Their parents died there in a fire three years previously. Meanwhile, Sole returns for the funeral of her elderly,

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

-stricken Aunt Paula. A neighbor, Agustina, confesses to Sole that she heard Paula talking to the ghost of Sole's and Raimunda's mother, Irene. Encountering her mother's ghost herself in Aunt Paula’s house, upon returning to Madrid, Sole finds that the ghost has stowed away in the trunk of her car. Sole lets Irene stay with her to assist at the illicit hair salon Sole operates out of her apartment, posing as a Russian immigrant who doesn't speak Spanish. The two conceal Irene’s presence from Raimunda, who hates her mother. Raimunda reveals to Paula that Paco was not her biological father, promising to tell her the whole story later. Leaving Paula with Sole, with the help of two paid suitably unquestioning female neighbors, Raimunda rents a van and transports the freezer containing the body to a spot by the river

Júcar The Júcar () or Xúquer () is a river in Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula. The river runs for approximately 509 km. Its source is located at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, in the municipality of Tragacete, province of Cuenca, on the eastern fla ...

, where they bury it. Meanwhile, diagnosed with terminal cancer, Agustina comes to Madrid for treatment. When Raimunda visits her in the hospital, Agustina asks Raimunda if she has seen her mother's ghost; Raimunda fears that Agustina too is exhibiting dementia. Agustina hopes the ghost will be able to tell her about her own mother, who disappeared three years before. While staying in Sole's apartment, Paula meets her grandmother's ghost, growing close to her. The next night, Agustina comes to the restaurant and reveals two startling secrets: her mother and Raimunda's father were having an affair, and her mother disappeared on the same day that Raimunda's parents died. Sole reveals to a skeptical Raimunda that she has seen their mother's ghost, who is in the next room with Paula. Revealing the whole truth, Irene admits that she did not die in the fire. The reason for Raimunda and her estrangement, Irene has come to realize, is that Raimunda's father

sexually abused Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is r ...

Raimunda, resulting in the birth of Paula. Thus, Paula is Raimunda's daughter and her sister. Unaware of Raimunda’s sexual abuse until Aunt Paula told her about it, Irene has never forgiven herself for being oblivious to it and believing Raimunda's pregnancy due to promiscuity. Finding her husband asleep in bed with another woman, Irene started the fire that killed them both. The ashes presumed to be Irene's were the ashes of Agustina's mother, the woman with whom Irene's husband was having an affair. After the fire, Irene wandered for several days in the countryside until deciding to turn herself in. First, however, she wanted to say goodbye to Aunt Paula, with whom Irene had been living prior to setting the fire and who had lost the ability to look after herself. Paula welcomed Irene home as if nothing had happened, and Irene stayed, caring for her sister and expecting that the police would come soon to arrest her. Due to the closed nature of the superstitious community, however, the police never came. Accustomed to tales of the dead returning, the residents explained the rare sightings of Irene as ghost sightings. The family reunites at Aunt Paula's house. Irene reveals her presence to Agustina, who continues to believe her to be a ghost. As penance, Irene pledges to stay in the village and care for Agustina as her cancer worsens, saying to Raimunda that it is the least she can do after killing Agustina's mother. Raimunda and her mother embrace and promise to repair their relationship, with Raimunda regularly visiting her mother at Agustina's house.

Cast

as Raimunda, a mother living in

's suburbs *

as Irene Trujillo, the mother of Raimunda and Sole *

as Paula *

as Agustina *

as Soledad ("Sole") *

as Aunt Paula * Antonio de la Torre as Paco *

María Isabel Díaz Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

as Regina * Carlos Blanco as Emilio * Neus Sanz as Inés * Leandro Rivera as Auxiliar Producción *

Yolanda Ramos Yolanda Ramos (born 4 September 1968) is a Spanish actress and comedian from Catalonia. She has featured in supporting performances in films such as '' Carmina and Amen'' and television series such as ''Paquita Salas'' and ''Cardo''. Biography ...

as Presentadora TV

Production

Origins

''Volver'' was first developed by Pedro Almodóvar, based on a story actress

Marisa Paredes María Luisa Paredes Bartolomé (3 April 1946 – 17 December 2024), known professionally as Marisa Paredes, was a Spanish actress with a long illustrious career. She acted in more than 75 films, 80 tv shows and 15 plays – with some of Europe ...

told him during the production of their 1995 film ''

'', another film set in the

region. The story revolved around a heartbroken Puerto Rican man who opts to kill his mother-in-law in hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife, who left him and broke off contact, at her mother's funeral. Owning a restaurant, he leaves it in his neighbour's care, when he is about to kill his victim. Fascinated by the story and its background, Almodóvar decided on incorporating elements of it into the screenplay of ''The Flower of My Secret'', making it the plot of a movie-within-the-movie based on the main character's novel in the film. While working on the script for ''Volver'', he would however settle on outlining the role of the neighbour Raimunda, as the film's central character, while Emilio, the Puerto Rican, eventually became a supporting role only. Almodóvar says of the story that "it is precisely about death...More than about death itself, the screenplay talks about the rich culture that surrounds death in the region of La Mancha, where I was born. It is about the way (not tragic at all) in which various female characters, of different generations, deal with this culture".''A Volver Diary'' by Pedro Almodóvar
/ref>

Casting

Penélope Cruz was the first reported to have landed one of the starring roles in ''Volver'', having previously worked with Almodóvar on his films '' Live Flesh'' (1997) and ''

All About My Mother ''All About My Mother'' () is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan, Penélope Cruz, Rosa Maria Sardà, and Fernando Fernán Gómez. Th ...

'' (1999). In preparing for her role, the actress watched Italian neorealism films from the 1950s, many of them starring

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...

, to study "the Italian ''maggiorate''" that Almodóvar envisioned for her performance in the film. Cruz, who had to wear a prosthetic bottom while filming, noted the role of Raimunda as "the best gift an actress can get". Carmen Maura, the star of Almodóvar's debut '' Pepi, Luci, Bom'' (1980) and five additional films with the director, was the first to be cast in the film alongside Cruz. Her engagement marked her first collaboration with Almodóvar after a period of 18 years and a reported fallout during the production of ''

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' () is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas and Julieta Serrano. The plot follows actress Pepa, who, after her lover Ivá ...

'' (1989). Maura commented on the " borderline character" of Irene as a "very complicated ole to play.

Filming

Shooting locations included Almagro.

Music

The tango "Volver" by

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...

with lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera is converted to

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

and is sung in the movie with the voice of

Estrella Morente Estrella Morente (Estrella de la Aurora Morente Carbonell) is a Spanish flamenco singer. She was born on 14 August 1980 in Las Gabias, Granada in southern Spain. She is the daughter of flamenco singer Enrique Morente and dancer Aurora Carbonell ...

and

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...

ed by Penélope Cruz. The dance tune playing at the party prior to Raimunda's lip syncing is called "Good Thing" by the British three-piece indie-dance combo Saint Etienne.

Reception

Box office

In the US alone, the film had made $12,897,993 (15.4% of the total) at the box office after 26.4 weeks of release in 689 theatres. The box office figure from the rest of the world is somewhere in the region of $71,123,059 (84.6% of the total) according to

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray ...

. The total worldwide gross is estimated at $84,021,052. As of 22 January 2007 the film had grossed $12,241,181 at the Spanish box office.

Critical reception

''Fotogramas'', Spain's top film magazine, gave it a five-star rating. Upon its US release,

A. O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at ''The New York Review of Books'', '' Variety'', and ''Slate'', he began writing film ...

made it an "NYT Critics' Pick" and wrote:

To relate the details of the narrative—death, cancer, betrayal, parental abandonment, more death—would create an impression of dreariness and woe. But nothing could be further from the spirit of ''Volver'' which is buoyant without being flip, and consoling without ever becoming maudlin. Mr. Almodóvar acknowledges misfortune—and takes it seriously—from a perspective that is essentially comic. Very few filmmakers have managed to smile so convincingly in the face of misery and fatality: Jean Renoir and Billy Wilder come immediately to mind, and Mr. Almodóvar, if he is not yet their equal, surely belongs in their company. ''Volver'' is often dazzling in its artifice—
José Luis Alcaine José Luis Alcaine Escaño (born 26 December 1938) is a Spanish cinematographer. Educated in Tangier, he was the first cinematographer to use a fluorescent tube as key lighting in the 1970s. He has worked on films such as ''Belle Époque (1992 ...
's ripe cinematography, Alberto Iglesias's suave, heart-tugging score— but it is never false. It draws you in, invites you to linger and makes you eager to return.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave it his highest rating of four, calling it "enchanting, gentle, transgressive" and notes "Almodovar is above all a director who loves women—young, old, professional, amateur, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, dead, alive. Here his cheerful plot combines life after death with the concealment of murder, success in the restaurant business, the launching of daughters and with completely serendipitous solutions to (almost) everyone's problems". On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has a 91% rating from critics, based on 158 positive reviews out of 173 critics, and an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's consensus states :"''Volver'' catches director Pedro Almodóvar and star Penélope Cruz at the peak of their respective powers, in service of a layered, thought-provoking film". On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 84 out of 100 based on 38 critics.

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006. * 2nd – Marjorie Baumgarten, ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'' * 3rd –

Glenn Kenny Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''. Biography Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

'' * 3rd – Kevin Crust, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' * 3rd –

Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of ''Film Comment ...

, ''Time'' magazine * 3rd – Philip Martin, ''

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas's counties. By virtue of one ...

'' * 4th – Andrew O'Hehir,

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

* 4th –

Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born June 27, 1943) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film i ...

, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' * 4th – Ray Bennett, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' * 5th –

Desson Thomson Desson Patrick Thomson is a speechwriter, journalist and film critic. He was a speechwriter for the Obama administration and film critic for ''The Washington Post''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reunitin ...

, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' * 6th – Claudia Puig, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' * 6th – Scott Tobias, ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' * 7th –

Kenneth Turan Kenneth Turan (; born October 27, 1946) is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. He was a film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1991 ...

, ''

'' * 8th –

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * 8th –

Keith Phipps ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in 1 ...

, ''

'' * 8th – Kirk Honeycutt, ''

'' * 8th –

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

, ''

'' * 9th –

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' * 10th –

David Ansen David Ansen is an American film critic. He was a senior editor for ''Newsweek'', where he served as film critic from 1977 to 2008 and subsequently contribute to the magazine in a freelance capacity. Prior to writing for ''Newsweek'', he served a ...

, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' *; General top ten * Carina Chocano, ''

'' *

Carrie Rickey Carrie Rickey (born November 26, 1952) is an American film critic. Rickey was a film critic for ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' from 1986 to 2011, and has contributed to ''The New York Times'', ''San Francisco Chronicle'', and '' Village Voice''. H ...

, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' *

Joe Morgenstern Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932) is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for ''Newsweek'' from 1965 to 1983, and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morge ...

, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' * Liam Lacey and Rick Groen, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...

magazine's critics poll named ''Volver'' the 2nd-best film of 2006. In 2019, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' ranked the film 46th in its 100 best films of the 21st century list.

Accolades

''Volver'' received a standing ovation when it was screened as part of the official selection at the

, and won the

award as well as the award for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...

— which was shared by the six stars of the film. , - , align = "center" rowspan = "14" , 2006 , , rowspan = "2" , 59th Cannes Film Festival , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo and Chus Lampreave , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Screenplay , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , rowspan = "6" , 19th European Film Awards , , colspan = "2" ,

Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, , , , rowspan = "6" , , - ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Screenwriter , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - ,

, , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Cinematographer , , José Luis Alcaine , , , - , Best Composer , , Alberto Iglesias , , , - , rowspan = "4" ,

11th Satellite Awards The 11th Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2006, were given on December 18, 2006. Special achievement awards Auteur Award (for his visionary work as a filmmaker) – Robert Altman Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , Best Actress – Drama , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Director , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , Best Screenplay – Original , , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - , rowspan = "2" , 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , align = "center" rowspan = "34" , 2007 , , 78th National Board of Review Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , 7th Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

64th Golden Globe Awards The 64th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and American television of 2006, as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The ceremony was held on January 15, 2007, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif ...

, , Best Actress – Drama , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

12th Critics' Choice Awards The 12th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 14, 2007, honoring the finest achievements of 2006 filmmaking. The event was held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on E!. Top 10 films (in ...

, , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , 5th Golden Eagle Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , , , - , rowspan = "14" , 21st Goya Awards , , colspan = "2" ,

, , , , rowspan = "14" , , - ,

, , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - ,

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

, , Pedro Almodóvar , , , - ,

, , Penélope Cruz , , , - , Best Original Score , , Alberto Iglesias , , , - , rowspan = "3" , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Maura , , , - , Lola Dueñas , , , - , Blanca Portillo , , , - ,

Best Cinematography The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...

, , José Luis Alcaine , , , - , Best Costume Design , , Sabine Daigeler , , , - , Best Make-Up and Hairstyles , , Massimo Gattabrusi and Ana Lozano , , , - ,

Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...

, , Salvador Parra , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Toni Novella , , , - ,

Best Sound The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, , , , , - ,

13th Screen Actors Guild Awards The 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony, honoring the best in American film and television acting achievement for the year 2006, took place on January 28, 2007, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center, in Los Angeles, California. ...

, , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

60th British Academy Film Awards The 60th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, took place on 11 February 2007 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2006. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Telev ...

, ,

, , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Film , , , - , rowspan = "5" , 16th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actress in a Leading Role , , Penélope Cruz , , , , rowspan = "5" , , - , rowspan = "3" , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Blanca Portillo , , , - , Lola Dueñas , , , - , Carmen Maura , , , - , Best Film Actress in a Minor Role , , Chus Lampreave , , , - ,

32nd César Awards The 32nd César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, honoured the best 2006 in film, films of 2006 in France and took place on 24 February 2007 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The ceremony was cha ...

, , colspan = "2" ,

Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, , , , , - ,

, ,

, , Penélope Cruz , , , - , 12th Empire Awards , , Best Actress , , Penélope Cruz , , , - , 12th

Forqué Awards The Forqué Awards or José María Forqué Awards (, also ) are film and television awards presented by the association of audiovisual producers , honoring the best of Spanish cinema and television. History Created in 1996, they are named after ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , , - , French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Film , , , ,

References

External links

Audio
an
Transcript
from a 4 August 2006 interview about ''Volver'' with Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz at the

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the United Kingdom, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Ins ...

* * * * * from moviegrande.com {{Authority control 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films 2006 independent films 2000s ghost films 2000s Spanish films 2000s Spanish-language films Best Film Goya Award winners Castilla–La Mancha in fiction El Deseo films European Film Awards winners (films) Films about dysfunctional families Films about hoaxes Films about incest Films about sisters Films directed by Pedro Almodóvar Films featuring a Best Actress Goya Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Goya Award–winning performance Films scored by Alberto Iglesias Films set in Madrid Films shot in Madrid Films shot in the province of Ciudad Real Golden Eagle Award (Russia) for Best Foreign Language Film winners Pathé films Satellite Award–winning films Spanish comedy-drama films Spanish independent films Spanish-language comedy-drama films Sony Pictures Classics films Warner Bros. films

Plot

Cast

Production

Origins

Casting

Filming

Music

Reception

Box office

Critical reception

Top ten lists

Accolades

See also

References

External links