---
title: "Volver"
year: 2006
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/volver"
fi1m_id: "volver"
imdb_id: "tt0441909"
tmdb_id: 219
wikidata_id: "Q209667"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:12.466423+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Volver (2006)

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 2h 01m · MPA R · Comedy, Drama, Romance

## Identity

Volver

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/volver
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** volver
- **IMDb ID:** tt0441909
- **TMDB ID:** 219
- **Wikidata ID:** Q209667
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441909/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/219, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q209667

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 80 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* Even a ghost would struggle to get these women to put their feet up

> Pedro Almodóvar’s family melodrama finds humour in hard work and grief, with Penélope Cruz giving its warmth a practical, impatient edge. It occasionally makes forgiveness too comfortable, but we recommend it warmly.

## Synopsis

Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) is a working mother whose family has secrets that reach across generations. As violence and the possibility of a ghost enter everyday life, the women around her contend with unfinished business and the work that still needs doing. Carmen Maura plays Irene, Lola Dueñas plays Sole and Blanca Portillo plays Agustina, with Yohana Cobo as Paula and Chus Lampreave as Aunt Paula. Pedro Almodóvar’s comedy-drama follows these women through family obligations, concealed truths and questions about the dead, as they turn to one another for help and consider what they can forgive.

## Review

*Volver* is a warm, funny melodrama that takes the work of looking after a family seriously, and we recommend it with one reservation: Pedro Almodóvar sometimes makes reconciliation come too easily. The women here have plenty to endure, but they also have things to get done, and he gives those demands equal attention. Domestic labour continues alongside violence, secrecy and the possibility of ghosts. The humour comes from the practical response to extraordinary trouble, without pretending that the trouble does not hurt.

Penélope Cruz plays Raimunda with the impatience of someone who cannot afford to stop and examine every feeling. Her care for her daughter is fierce, but Cruz makes the effort of that care visible; the performance never settles for looking maternal. There is humour in her briskness, and strain beneath it, which is why the film can move between comedy and distress without making her seem inconsistent. She keeps Raimunda’s exhaustion present even when the story becomes fanciful.

Carmen Maura’s Irene and Lola Dueñas’s Sole keep the film from becoming a display built around its leading performance. Maura brings an unforced familiarity to the family material, while Dueñas allows uncertainty to complicate the comedy. Blanca Portillo’s Agustina makes us attend to another person’s troubles without wishing we could get back to Raimunda. Almodóvar gives the ensemble time to establish how these women behave with one another, so their willingness to help feels like an existing habit.

José Luis Alcaine’s cinematography gives the colours force without making the domestic work seem less tiring. In the close-up of Cruz singing, Raimunda seems unable to keep her feelings private. We were moved more than we expected. The attention to her face lets us register a vulnerability that her busyness elsewhere keeps hidden. Almodóvar allows the song to take its time, and Cruz makes that time feel necessary.

José Salcedo’s editing handles the movement between domestic comedy and disturbing family material without making the changes feel imposed. The pace slackens as suspense gives way to a slower study of the women, though the actors largely justify that choice. Alberto Iglesias’s music suits the heightened emotions, helping the comic and unsettling passages belong together without requiring the performances to become broader. At 121 minutes, the film allows us to spend time in these women’s company, even when there is less urgency about what happens next.

The difficulty is how readily affection seems able to settle painful questions. Almodóvar’s screenplay gives its women such dependable reserves of mutual help that their differences can feel less troublesome than they ought to be. We can accept coincidence and unlikely events in a family melodrama, but we still want the people involved to be capable of disappointing each other. The film’s kindness occasionally makes those relationships feel arranged for our reassurance.

There is little here for anyone who needs a family drama to behave like a tightly plotted thriller. Give the slower conversations time: the actresses have more to do than keep a secret or get the story moving. See it for Cruz, but give the quieter performances your attention too.

*Fi1m score 84, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Volver, with praise centred on Penélope Cruz’s performance and Almodóvar’s handling of female relationships. The reviews find emotional depth beneath the bright colours and flamboyant premises, particularly in the bonds between mothers and daughters. Cruz is repeatedly singled out for giving Raimunda resilience and feeling, while the ensemble earns recognition beyond its lead. Almodóvar’s ability to combine domestic routine, comedy, tragedy and the supernatural is another recurring strength.

The disagreement concerns how much freshness these familiar themes retain. Slant Magazine admires the craft but notes the limited risks, while Collider finds that the suspense gives way to a slower character study. Sight and Sound is the sharp dissenter, seeing recycled material, idealised sisterhood and too little conflict. The spread is therefore wide, although the prevailing view treats the return to familiar territory as emotionally rewarding rather than tired.

## Straight answers

**Is Volver worth watching?**

*Volver* is worth watching for anyone who likes a family melodrama with warmth and hard work in it, and we scored it 84. Penélope Cruz gives Raimunda a brisk, impatient care that carries the comedy and the grief together. Our one reservation is that Pedro Almodóvar lets forgiveness arrive too comfortably, so the women rarely disappoint each other.

**How long is Volver, and what is it rated?**

*Volver* runs 2h 01m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Volver in the US?**

*Volver* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Volver, and is it suitable for children?**

*Volver* is rated R in the United States and has no UK certificate listed here, so treat it as a film for adults rather than children. There is violence, family secrets that turn disturbing, and the possibility of a ghost, though the ghost is played for warmth and comedy rather than fright. Teenagers used to adult drama should manage; the squeamish will not need to look away often.

**How does Volver compare to Secrets & Lies?**

*Volver* is the warmer and more forgiving of the two films, while [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) is the more painful. Both draw humour from family secrets emerging in awkward conversation, but Mike Leigh keeps his people capable of hurting one another, where Almodóvar smooths their differences with affection. Choose Leigh if you want the harder evening, Almodóvar if you want to be moved and comforted.

**What should I watch after Volver?**

After *Volver*, try [*All About My Mother*](https://film.one/film/all-about-my-mother) (1999, Fi1m 88): Another Almodóvar family gathers through practical kindness, grief and difficult acts of forgiveness. Then [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) (1996, Fi1m 88): Family secrets emerge through awkward conversation, with humour that makes the pain harder to dismiss; and [*The Farewell*](https://film.one/film/the-farewell) (2019, Fi1m 84): Another family negotiates what to conceal, and whom its kindness actually protects.

### Reviews we read (17)

- **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (★★★★★): Andrews praises Almodóvar's phenomenal mastery of style and ability to create gleaming coherence from wild premises. He singles out the epiphanic image-making and Cruz's acting, which matches her Sophia Loren-like presence. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/f2c327d8-32c6-11db-87ac-0000779e2340)
- **Little White Lies**, Matt Bochenski (4/5/4): The critic praises Almodóvar for crafting a fresh, inventive film that mixes genres deftly while returning to his roots in La Mancha and reuniting with Carmen Maura. The performances, especially Penélope Cruz's, and the film's emotional depth beneath its flamboyance are singled out for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/volver)
- **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps (A-): The critic praises Almodóvar’s ability to reveal deeper layers in Cruz beyond her beauty and notes the film’s rich emotional focus on family bonds and color. It singles out a memorable close-up of Cruz singing as emblematic of the director’s artful approach. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/volver-1798202157)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (85/100, inferred): The critic finds Almodóvar on excellent form with a mature, beautifully told tale focused on female relationships and family ghosts. Penélope Cruz delivers a standout performance as the resilient Raimunda amid intricate mother-daughter dynamics. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/volver-review/)
- **Time Out**, Ben Walters (80/100, inferred): Almodóvar delivers a fable of domestic drudgery, murder and magic that fuses the hysterical and the mundane with compassion, wit and grace. The director's sophisticated technique and ability to interpolate tragedy and farce are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/volver)
- **Variety**, Jonathan Holland (80/100, inferred): Almodóvar returns to his childhood roots with a low-frills, reflective, and conventional piece that celebrates the pueblo and its people through superbly drawn characters and a straightforward plot. The film is a subdued, sometimes intense and often comic homecoming that showcases Penélope Cruz at her finest. [Read](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/volver-2-1200517470/)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): Almodóvar returns to his roots in La Mancha and to working with women and Carmen Maura, achieving moments of deep dramatic intensity as a well-observed study of characters. The film is described as a paean to motherhood with strong commercial prospects. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/volver/4026692.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Peter Matthews (30/100, inferred): The critic finds Volver one of Almodóvar's weaker efforts, a lazily recycled enterprise coasting on past goodwill with tired themes and sisterly idealisation. The lack of genuine conflict and overly familiar tropes are singled out for complaint. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/3381)
- **IndieWire**, Indiewire: The review finds Volver a finely crafted, emotionally satisfying return to Almodóvar’s favorite themes of women, motherhood, and forgiveness. It singles out the vivid details of women’s work and Penelope Cruz’s sparkling performance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-coming-around-pedro-almodovars-volver-75813/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert: Almodóvar delivers an enchanting, gentle story that blends life after death, murder concealment, and everyday comedy while paying tribute to the resilient women of his childhood village. The film stands out for its vivid portrait of female continuity and common-sense approach to the supernatural. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/volver-2006)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez: The review calls Volver an exceptionally well-crafted work focused on women’s intimacy, rites, and forgiveness, comparing it favorably to earlier Almodóvar films while noting it avoids greater risks. It singles out Penelope Cruz’s strong, nuanced performance as a highlight that may earn her an Oscar. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/volver/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Bradshaw calls the film a gripping melodrama that captures the heart with its richness, colour and warmth. He singles out Penelope Cruz's performance as Raimunda in the context of a mother's passionate love for her daughter. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/aug/25/drama.pedroalmodovar)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic’s Pick): Almodóvar creates another wise, luxuriant humanist tale set in an enchanted world of bright colors and vivid feeling, where violence and fear resolve into deeper harmonies. The director hands the film to its ensemble of lively actresses, especially Penélope Cruz as the hard-working Raimunda. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/movies/03volv.html)
- **The Times**, James Christopher: Christopher finds it a moist and creamy joy about incest and murder that even fervent critics will admire for its wit. He singles out the sassy female cast and Cruz's performance of her career. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/spain/volver-wgqhh8f3rf6)
- **Eye for Film**, Chris (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Volver a fast-moving, colourful story about women supporting each other across generations amid dark secrets and a realistic ghost. They single out Almodóvar’s confident handling of the supernatural element alongside a scintillating script, strong performances (especially Penélope Cruz), and a mix of warm comedy and genuine emotion. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/volver-film-review-by-chris)
- **Collider**, Brian Orndorf (B+): The critic finds Volver one of Almodóvar's most self-assured and conventional films, a melodrama about family secrets, closure, and the mysteries of death and life after. Penelope Cruz's raw, primal performance stands out amid the strong ensemble, though the story shifts from suspenseful plot to a slower character study. [Read](https://collider.com/film-review-volver/)
- **The Skinny**, Megan Garriock (★★★★): Almodóvar assembles a powerhouse all-female cast for a tale of survival, friendship and family secrets. The film showcases some of Penelope Cruz's finest work alongside equally strong turns from the rest of the ensemble. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/volver)

## Details

- **Director:** Pedro Almodóvar
- **Director:** Pedro Almodóvar
- **Screenplay:** Pedro Almodóvar
- **Cinematography:** José Luis Alcaine
- **Editor:** José Salcedo
- **Music:** Alberto Iglesias
- **Costume design:** Bina Daigeler
- **Producer:** Esther García
- **Cast:** Penélope Cruz as Raimunda; Carmen Maura as Irene; Lola Dueñas as Sole; Blanca Portillo as Agustina; Yohana Cobo as Paula; Chus Lampreave as Aunt Paula; Antonio de la Torre as Paco; Carlos Blanco Vila as Emilio
- **Runtime:** 2h 01m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 3 November 2006
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Romance
- **Budget:** $9 million
- **Box office:** $86 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSvppyQGdE

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, ES, FR, GB, IT, MX, NL, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2007: Best Actress (nominated)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2007: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Actress 2006: European Film Award for Best Actress (won)
- European Film Award for Best Cinematographer 2006: European Film Award for Best Cinematographer (won)
- European Film Award for Best Composer 2006: European Film Award for Best Composer (won)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2006: European Film Award for Best Director (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2006: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2006: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated)
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2006: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *All About My Mother* (1999), Fi1m 88: Another Almodóvar family gathers through practical kindness, grief and difficult acts of forgiveness — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/all-about-my-mother.md)
- *Secrets & Lies* (1996), Fi1m 88: Family secrets emerge through awkward conversation, with humour that makes the pain harder to dismiss — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md)
- *Our Little Sister* (2015): Sisters build a household together, with more quiet observation and considerably less melodrama
- *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: Another family negotiates what to conceal, and whom its kindness actually protects — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md)
- *A Woman Under the Influence* (1974), Fi1m 86: For a harsher account of domestic strain, with an equally absorbing central performance — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-woman-under-the-influence.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/volver