Directed by Pedro Almodovar, Volver, is about Raimunda (Almodovar mainstay, Penelope Cruz), a mother living in Madrid with a difficult life. Working as a cleaner during the day, a dutiful mother and wife of an uncaring, perverted husband by night, her life is about to change. After the death of her Aunt, the ghost of her dead mother (played by another Almodovar stalwart, Carmen Maura) appears to Raimunda's ditsy sister (Lola Dueñas) and old painful secrets are to emerge, secrets that require a strong woman to withstand.

Almodovar's films always centre around strong female leads and with this film, Cruz utilises this most powerful role with such acting range as to demonstrate why she is one of Spain's best actresses, if not the world. Her portrayal of Raimunda tugs at the heartstrings, in a deftly written screenplay written by Almodovar. Almodovar himself describes this as one of his most personal films - The primary location being Almodovar's Madrid , the second location none other than his home region of La Mancha.

The film is generous in allowing us to peek into this most private of worlds, knowing that the kind of things dealt with in this film are almost always kept private. Almodovar shows his Spain with glorious colour in not only Madrid but La Mancha - his use of colour accentuated by the great detail allowed in the blu ray. We also experience the friendliness and warmth of the Spanish people, their idiosyncrasies, their mannerisms and it can only mean one thing - We are experiencing Spain and we love it.

Volver means "to return" and Almodovar, with this film, has certainly returned to his best. The review copy of the blu ray, with great detail and clarity in the transfer and with a DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is only let down by its lack of features. Highly recommended.