Homer: So the cops knew that internal affairs were setting them up?
Glen: What are you talking about? There is nothing like that in there!
Homer: Oh, sorry. When I get bored I make up my own movie.
Perhaps I’m just an unrefined lout, but there was very little within Volver that held my interest, other than Almodovar’s occasionally novel framing choices. I appreciate Almodovar’s distinctive framing ability, which always results in a few interesting compositions and in this instance produced some gorgeous overhead views of the simplest household scenes, whether it was Penelope Cruz sensuously washing kitchen utensils or an appetizing bowl of soup.
However, I’m quite unwilling to overlook the sloppy filmmaking that Almodovar often displays that strangely goes unnoticed or is completely ignored by his supporters. In every Almodovar film I’ve watched, there are guaranteed to be at least a few scenes that feel either emotionally dishonest, contain hasty (somewhat manipulative) resolutions, or simply feel maddeningly artificial. In at least a few Almodovar films he has characters react to events in such a shoddy, contrived, synthetic manner that I thought I was watching Cameron Crowe bungle his way through one of Elizabethtown’s eulogies.
I also didn’t appreciate the film’s palpable hostility towards men. The film teeters on the brink of displaying misandry or at least androphobia. If anyone made a film that portrayed women in such an unfavorable manner, I’m certain it would be considered somewhat misogynist.
by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Mongrel Media 35mm Print
27 Feb 2007 2:29 PM | Submit Comment
