Pedro Almodovar's filmography offers an abundance of affectionate hooks, but the kissing in Volver is one of his most ingenious. That double cheeked, loud repetitive smacking added so much to the humor and pathos to an already great film. The kissing served up an amusing blend of true intimacy and wary distance-keeping.Let's take a look...would that this post also had sound!
Volver begins in a cemetery where daughters busily clean their mothers' grave. Just as soon as they've packed up their supplies to head home it's suddenly girls gone wild ... with kissing!
The festive smacking is prompted by the entrance of Agustina (Blanca Portillo in green above), a friend to Volver's central family. She is the movie's loudest and most passionate kissing advocate. Agustina gives young Paula four kisses remarking "she's all grown up!", Raimunda (a justly Oscar nominated Penelope Cruz) gets two. Finally Agustina meets her match as she embraces Sole (the wonderful Lola Dueñas in blue). Sole's smooches are the only rivals to Agustina's in enthusiasm and volume. They trade five (five!) noisy smackeroos. It sounds like ten.
And then the ladies are off to see Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave, FB cameo gold medalist)
This possibly senile old woman is pickier about her cheek-to-cheek time. Raimunda gives her dear Aunt six affectionally received kisses. Aunt Paula then cheerfully trades two with Raimunda's daughter, noticing their shared name. Warily, she accepts two cheek pecks from Sole.
Aunt Paula's instant distrust of this forgotten niece is one of the movies funniest jokes. Immediately following the kiss she proclaims to Raimunda...That Sole looks like one right sourpussA line that's even funnier than its delivery since Sole (pictured, right) almost always has a genuinely good-natured expression plastered on her face.
Aunt Paula remains unconvinced about this Sole character as they all say goodbye. To Raimunda she gives a huge hug complete with six kisses again, two simple kisses go to the younger Paula and, with a rather confused "must I?" expression on her face, the forgetful woman succumbs to two cheek-to-cheeks from the sourpuss.
Raimunda blows her ancient Auntie a kiss and heads out the door. Next stop: Agustina's across the street.
Agustina restrains herself when her friends arrive and lets her lips busy themselves with chatting. She also offers up a doobie. Her first kiss in this scene is actually delivered from lips to fingers to a photo on the wall. The woman in the photo is her long missing and possibly dead mother -- "the only hippie in the village" she proudly notes. Agustina, who is sickly herself, is in some ways the bridge character between the living and the dead in Volver so it's fitting that she kisses them, too.When the sisters take their leave Agustina's lips attack again. Four kisses each for Raimunda and Paula. And another competitive kiss-a-thon with Sole, six kisses shared.
Will the kissing ever end? We're only 15 minutes into the movie and the kiss counter has reached an incredible...
There's a whole lot of lip smacking in Volver --has there ever been a movie with more kissing? Plant another one on me Pedro, please.
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Spread the love as freely as Agustina spreads kisses!~
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Spread the love as freely as Agustina spreads kisses!~
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