If you had to hide your murdered husband’s body, where would you hide it? Raimunda (played by Penelope Cruz) hides her late husband’s body in the freezer of a shuttered restaurant. And once she decides to operate the restaurant in the owner’s absence, she must be careful not to expose her secret.

Volver is Pedro Almodovar’s attempt to deal with death–whether it’s the death of an abusive father, that of an abusive spouse, or that of an estranged mother. It is part ghost story, part psychological thriller, splashed in Almodovar’s token red, and a nod to the women who make us, shape us, nurture us, and protect us.

The movie is inspired by the working class elements of Italian neo-realism (a genre of film that emerged in the 1940s, following the end of Mussolini’s rule, which paid homage to the rural and working class of Italy). Volverinverts female domesticity on its head by showing us kitchens used for murder and employment, sinks used to wash the blood off of dirty dishes, and homes used to gather families of women–making men unseen and non-present in both urban and rural Spain. – CORA JAMES

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