Volver

The film Volver showed multiple examples of strength and resilience of these women as they faced life's most outrageous tribulations. The opening scene showed each women washing and polishing the grave stones of their loved ones. The respect shown here was awesome. Even Agustine cleaned her own grave stone because she said it relaxed her.

It wasn't known until the end of the film that Paula, Raimunda's daughter was the result of a rape from Raimunda's own father. Raimunda loved her daughter with tenderness and care. She was able to put aside her own feeling for what her father had done. She also hid the anger toward her own mother for not knowing that she was being abused. Paula was raised in a normal household, until the day she was forced to stab her father Paco for an attempted rape. Again Raimunda put her feelings aside and comforted her daughter and told her she would take any blame for the death of Paco. During all this Raimunda was able to run a restaurant while also dealing with the death of her Aunt Paula. She portrayed a strong, resilient woman through out the film.

The superstitious beliefs shown was when Irene, the mother of Sole and Raimunda, showed herself. She was believed to have died four years before in the arms of her husband. In actuality it was Irene's husband and his mistress that died together. Irene in the fit of rage, the rage blame on the superstitious wind, set fire to the two adulterers. Irene the took care of her sick sister for years. Again she was able to do this because of the superstition of the dead coming back to finish "some unfinished" business. Here again the strength of this woman was seen. She rarely went outside, she spent her life with the thoughts of what she had done. Thoughts that may have made another person crazy. Instead Irene took wonderful care of her sister until she died. I appreciated the character of Irene. Her husband's mistress was the mother of her neighbor Agustine. When Agustine was diagnosed with cancer and had no one to care for her. Irene again posed as a ghost and cared for Agustine. Agustine wanted to know if her mother was dead or alive. I believe that Irene told kind stories to Agustine about her mother as she also cared for her until her death. Irene gave up time with her own daughters and grand daughter to care for someone in desperate need.

What a great testimony to the strength and resilience of these women!