By Mark Medley

Secrets. Incest. Ghosts. A troublesome dead body.
These elements and more form the basis of “Volver”, Pedro Almodovar’s stunning new film that has its North American premiere here at TIFF. You’d expect nothing less than a masterpiece when you take one of the world’s best directors (Bad Education, Talk to Her, All About My Mother) and reunite him with some of his most-beloved cast members of films past.
With Volver, which means “to return”, Almodovar returns to his home region of La Mancha, Spain. Raimunda (Penelope Cruz makes us forgets her English-language mishaps) is married to a deadbeat named Paco (Antonio de la Torre). Her sister, Sole (Lola Duenas), runs an illegal hair salon out of her apartment. The death of their aunt sets off a chain of events that makes them both confront old ghosts, both figuratively and literally. The movie celebrates and explores family, love, and forgiveness. There is not a weak link in the cast (and it’s quite apparent why they were given a joint award as best actress at Cannes.) The movie is lushly filmed.
Volver is one of the most anticipated films showing this year at TIFF – it’s already sold out – but it’s worth the wait in a rush line for a chance to see it. 5/5