For this month’s Food ‘n Flix feature (hosted by Evelyne at CulturEatz) we meet three generations of women from an odd little village in Spain. (You can see Eveleyn’s announcement post HERE .)  Volver means “to return” in Spanish but I think these women have more to escape than to ever revisit and remember.

Let me attempt to summarize the plot of the dark (yet humorous) Spanish language film directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Penelope Cruz.

Two sisters, Riamundo and Soledad, come from a superstitious town outside of Madrid that is known for its wind, its fires, and the number of residents that go insane.  Both sisters have escaped this fate:  Riamundo through a loveless marriage and Soledad through her illegal hair salon.

As tradition dictates, the sisters travel back to clean and care for their parents’ graves.  While there,  they visit their elderly and dementia-ridden Aunt Paula which sets the plot in motion.

There’s a lot going on in Volver.  To quote Inigo from last month’s FnF film, The Princess Bride:  

Let me explain.
[pause]
No, there is too much. Let me sum up

There’s murders, incest, hauntings, missing persons, guilt, remorse and forgiveness.  (There’s a bit of humor as well if you can imagine.)

I have a theory about foreign films and American audiences (read “me”).  I think that we (read “me” again) can digest an implausible or fantastical plot line a bit more if we are reading subtitles.  “After all, it is a foreign film,” I often think.  “It’s meant to be a little odd.”  But, I like odd and quirky so I enjoyed this film.

Since Raimundo ends up running a pop-up restaurant in the middle of all the chaos, there’s lots of food in the film.  I was most taken with the first food that pops up, “Mom’s wafers” or churros.  I almost tried to tackle these but we have an authentic panaderia that we visit often which makes these to perfection so I thought, “Why bother.”

Then there was Raimundo’s tortilla y morcilla (omelette with sausage) from her impromptu luncheon for thirty.   I almost went there.

But, you know me.  I ended up with a cocktail, mainly because I think that these three generations of women (Soledad and Raimundo, their mother, and Paula) all deserve and need a drink.

I did enjoy this film but I was glad it was set in Spain. I hope they don’t remake this in an English language version. That would ruin the whole thing.

¡Salud!

Thanks to Evelyne at CulturEatz for hosting FnF this month!

Join Food ‘n Flix for July as the club goes retro with Dirty Dancing (hosted by Chef Sarah Elizabeth).