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The return

After two rather serious, male-orientated films (Talk To Her and Bad Education), it’s great to see Pedro Almodóvar back on familiar ground with this female ensemble piece. It’s a film with quite a few twists, so it would be unfair to give away the plot – suffice it to say that it revolves around Penélope Cruz’s relationship with her sister, difficult daughter, recently-deceased mother, and terminally-ill neighbour. Cruz, returning to her native language after some dire Hollywood movies, gives a superb performance. She manages to make a difficult, often unsympathetic character likeable. Almodóvar is also reunited with Carmen Maura, his muse from the 1980s, after a very public falling out following trouble on the set of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She isn’t in that many scenes, but her presence really grounds the whole film. In fact, the entire cast is great – there are five great parts for actresses, more than in a year’s worth of Hollywood films. Overall then, this is funny, colourful and entertaining.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Two balls bad, two breasts good

The Spanish woman is wonderful. Through resilience and solidarity she copes with anything and everything. The Spanish woman is birth, life and death. Men are at best a hindrance, at worse a hazard. Almodovar’s praise to the matriarchs of La Mancha is also a wonderful film.

Like legions of mere men, I was enthralled and intimidated by Raimunda’s (Penelope Cruz) beauty, which I suppose is the way it’s supposed to be. When you know her character’s story, you understand and appreciate her all the more. For those, like me, who love Almodovar’s films, this is a fine, polished example. Definitely a must see.