Volver…
Volver should really be called “survive the first hour” because that is what you must do. Get through the first painful hour with an understanding of a few important plot points and just sit back and enjoy the second hour. The second hour is where the magic happens.
But first let me preface this. I watch the film over two nights, in one hour chunks. After the first hour I was unsure if I wanted to continue. The first hour was somewhat boring, slow to develop and Penelope Cruz still got on nerves (even in Spanish).
The second night I basically forced myself to finish; I just had an hour left and was curious enough from to plot to see where it went. The second hour is completely different than the first…Cruz is not annoying, the story moves along rather quickly, and as many of the plot points wrap up it’s very fascinating. The one with the daughter I did not see coming at all. That was definitely an “Oh shit” moment for me.
As good as the second hour is, and it’s very good, there are a few things I wish they would have wrapped up. How did things settled out with Cruz and the restaurant? Or with the restaurant owner? Does Cruz ever try to sing again? They spend considerable time in the first hour setting that story up and to leave us with nothing at the end is a real shame.
So I’m torn. That first hour was just plain painful, but that second hour is magnificent. I definitely enjoyed myself on the second night, but this film falls short of what it could have been.
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