Volver

Men don’t play an integral role in this film. It seems like all the men were nothing more than temporary characters that were needed to bring the women together. Raimunda’s father ruins her relationship with her mother. It is implied that Raimunda needed another man to betray her trust so she would reunite with her mother. The men should make the women’s lives easier, but they just add complications. Raimunda’s conversation with Emilio implies that Emilio has previously expressed a romantic interest in her, which would have had an adverse effect on her relationship with her husband. Raimuda’s husband caused nothing but problems for her. It seemed as though Paco was seldom employed and Raimunda had to work to provide for the family. Irene, Raimunda, and Sole would have been better off if the father hadn’t remained with them. It seems like his presence drove them apart instead of keeping them together.

The idea of “return” is an important part of this movie. The film opens with Sole and Raimunda returning to their home town. It’s obvious that none of them want to be there. They only return because they feel obligated. “Return” is also noticeable with other characters. It was often said that Paco left them and they didn’t think he would ever return. Agustina has been waiting four years for her mother to return from wherever she disappeared to. There is also a fear of returning to the place they are originally from. Sole doesn’t want to go back to the small town alone. The neighbor that works as a prostitute is an illegal immigrant that is afraid of being sent back home. She feels that her life is better in Spain, even if she is a prostitute.

I think the emphasis on the windmills in interesting. It reminded me of Don Quixote. I think the quintessential scene from Don Quixote is when he is racing towards the moving windmills with his lance. Perhaps this is used to emphasize the idea that the small town is full of crazy people who don’t realize they are out of touch with reality.