Volver means 'to return' or 'go back' and this resonates beyond the actions of the characters. The film is set in Almodóvar's place of birth, the La Mancha region and he has cited his upbringing as a major influence on some aspects of the plot and pays tribute to the women that raised him.

Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) sings the song 'Volver', though Cruz is dubbed by Estrella Morente. The actress trained to learn how to lip sync for the scene.

The film tackles many complex themes such as parental sexual abuse, murder, superstition, death, grief, and redemption. But above all, it is a tale of female solidarity, strength, love, kindness and grace. Pedro Almodóvar adores women.

Revolving around an eccentric family of women from a wind-swept region south of Madrid, Cruz stars as Raimunda, a working-class woman forced to go to great lengths to protect her 14-year-old daughter Paula. To top off the family crisis, her mother Irene returns from the dead to tie up loose ends.