Although writer/director Pedro Almodovar is gay, his perversely funny films have always been celebrated for their insightful explorations into the lives of women (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother and Talk to Her are just some of them). Set in Madrid, his latest poetic film mixes drama and comedy as it tells a tale of survival of three generations of women.

Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) is a born fighter and works several jobs while her unemployed husband sits around, gets drunk and makes inappropriate advances towards her teenage daughter. Cruz is somewhat reminiscent of a young Sophia Loren (even though she had to have her derriere padded for the role), as she allows her character’s emotional fragility to be seen beneath the efficient facade. Raimunda’s sister Sole (Lola Duenas) is a more timid character whose husband went off with one of her clients from the hairdressing salon she runs from her home.

‘Volver’ actually means coming back. The sisters’ mother Irene (Carmen Maura) was thought to have perished along with their father in a house fire, but as one of the many secrets is revealed, she returns from purgatory after her sister dies. There are some very surreal moments as Almodovar mixes horror and happiness, and sometimes the most dreadful things are celebrated – such as when Raimunda’s young daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) stops her stepfather’s sexual advances with a kitchen knife. While there are many complexities beneath the deceptively simple storyline, the film is all about celebrating the beauty and hope that can be found in the darkest places.

Volver is 120 minutes and screens at Cinema Paradiso and Luna on SX.