The power of motherhood and the blessing of good friends run as themes through Pedro Almodovar's entertaining fantasy "Volver," even though the central topics are abuse and death.

Penelope Cruz has never looked lovelier or acted better as a prickly but resourceful woman whose long-held secret about the father of her teenage daughter is revealed only upon the appearance of her dead mother as a ghost.

It says a great deal about Almodovar's skill as a filmmaker that he can weave whimsical humor and stark drama together in such a winning fashion. It's hard not to believe audiences will respond warmly.

The memorable opening sequence shows a platoon of widows and daughters cleaning the gravestones of their departed loved ones in the windswept cemetery of La Mancha. Among them are Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Lola Duenas), whose parents died in a house fire.
Like the Santa Anas in Los Angeles, the wind in La Mancha causes troubled minds, as the sisters' Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) demonstrates. Living alone, she has begun to see the image of her late sister Irene (Carmen Maura). The village women calmly accept that Irene has returned in order to take care of the aging and addled Paula.

The practical Raimunda, meanwhile, has lazy husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) to worry about and several jobs to juggle. Her life is turned on its head when she finds daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) standing in the rain in shock and discovers that she has stabbed Paco to death defending herself from sexual assault.

The fact that Paco was not Paula's father is quickly revealed, but she tells the girl that her real father also is dead. With steely determination, Raimunda hides the corpse in the freezer of a neighborhood restaurant that she is minding while the owner is away.

Almodovar sketches these scenes with great invention so that the horror of the situation is lightened but not ignored and events move quickly. When a movie crew needs somewhere to eat while on location, Raimunda comes to the rescue by opening the restaurant, relying on friends and neighbors to help her collect and prepare the food.

During this time, Aunt Paula has died, and Sole has not only encountered the ghost of her dead mother but also has her staying in the spare bedroom pretending to be a Russian emigre when customers show up for her unlicensed hairdressing service.

Kindly neighbor Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who has also cared for Aunt Paula, reveals that she has inoperable cancer and the circle that Almodovar creates between the living and the dead, parents and children, sisters and friends, becomes complete, though there are many further complications along the way.

The picture is beautifully shot by Jose Luis Alcaine, and the music of Alberto Iglesias complements it gracefully. Cruz is in top form, and the cast - which includes Maura working with the director for the first time in almost two decades - enters into the spirit of things.

It's very difficult to mesh fantasy with reality, but with great charm and a light touch, Almodovar shows exactly how it should be done.