Last Tuesday, on the 22nd  November, A-level students gathered at the British Film Institute for a Spanish lecture that finished with watching the film that they are studying: Volver.

 

Students were introduced to Almodóvar’s (the auteur of the film) other films such as ‘Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios’ (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown) and ‘Todo sobre mi madre’ (all about my mother), so that they could learn more about the director’s filmography and how all of his films are somewhat interconnected in terms of themes and characters.  

The lecturer discussed how Almodóvar's films were deemed controversial as they included a lot of social issues such as sexuality and religion. Furthermore, his films are focused around women and many of the actresses are found in more than one of his films, such as Carmen Maura and Chus Lampreave.  

The lecturer then proceeded to talk about the use of camera angles and the effects of them; students were able to watch a few clips from several Almodóvar films, including some from Volver so that they were able to visualise these shots found in cinematography.  

After a short break, the students gathered once more in the BFI to watch the film with English subtitles, which, like other Almodóvar films, featured women as the protagonists, including Penélope Cruz and the film discussed themes such as death, tradition, abuse and familial love. This gave students the opportunity to watch the film, hopefully with a better understanding. 

Here are what some students have said about their experience:

 

“My favourite part about the event was watching the film, it was funny and full of jokes. I have learnt more about the importance of cinematography, Almodovar’s history and his films.” – Fergus Kingston 

“My favourite part was watching the film because it was entertaining and had a lot of action; it wasn’t too romantic. I feel like I learnt more about Almodovar’s life and his work.” – Sarah Bacha 

This trip to the BFI taught students more about 'Volver' and widened their knowledge on contextual information, preparing them for their A-level exams.