What ever magical elixir filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is taking in the morning when he gets up I definitely want a taste of it. Starting with “Live Flesh” in 1997, the director has had four straight features (“All About My Mother,” “Talk to Her” and “Bad Education” being the other three) which unquestionably ranked as some of the very best films of their respective years. Now comes “Volver,” a brilliantly beautiful accomplishment that not only reunites him with former starlets Pénelope Cruz and Carmen Maura but also ranks as one of the single best feature films I’ve had the pleasure to watch in all of 2006.

Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) encounter what they believe to be the ghost of their dead mother Irene (Maura) after the death of their Aunt Tía Paula (Chus Lampreave). She arrives in the trunk of the latter’s car, claiming to not know what exactly it is she has come back from the great beyond to ask forgiveness for and wanting to assist her daughter in her illegal hairdressing business run out of her apartment.

Irene does not want Sole to reveal her existence to Raimunda, afraid that news of her arrival will only spark conversations about the tragic fire which took both her and her husband’s lives. Not that the elder daughter has time for a ghost in her life at the moment, she’s busy dealing with the tragic disappearance of her unemployed husband as well as a local film crew whom has put her cooking services to good use at the local restaurant. She’s a busy little bee, the vivacious young woman doing all she can to make sure her beautiful daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) doesn’t discover any of the secrets on the verge of breaking her heart.

This is a remarkably simple synopsis for a not so simple dark comedic melodrama. “Volver” is five films in one, each of them so remarkable and entertaining it is impossible not find your spirits lifted and your heart soaring thanks to the magnificence of it all. There are twists and turns here you just don’t see coming, scene after scene after scene so wondrous it’s hard to believe a single picture could contain them all.

My favorite moment? There are almost too many to recap. How about a tearful scene of heartbreak and longing between Raimunda and family friend Agustina (Blanca Portillo) in the latter’s hospital room? Or, how about an absolutely spellbinding bit at the restaurant the mother and cook has brought back to effervescent life singing for the first time in ages in front of a wide-eyed daughter? And what about a scene between Irene, Sole and a two cut and color appointees as daughter gives mother a cover story involving Russian immigrants and vagrant panhandling?

For me, as good as these scenes and others are, the one which stands above all others is a moonlit walk between Raimunda and Irene where truths are revealed, passions uncovered and connections are once again established. It is moments like these for which cinema was invented, intimate tête-à-têtes between people where souls can be laid bear and souls can become unburdened. The scene alternates between hilarity, heartbreak, sincerity, compassion, love, joy, despair and so many other different emotions I found myself choking back tears amidst cascades of jovial laughter.

It goes without saying that both Cruz and Maura are remarkable here. For the latter this comes as no surprise, her career working for directors like Carlos Saura, Manuel Gómez Pereira, Alejandro Agresti and André Téchiné (amongst others) a testament enough to that. Re-teaming with Almodóvar for the first time since “Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown,” Maura is simply sensational, stealing scenes with a sideways glance and nod of the head, all of it leading to that momentously emotional aforementioned stroll with Cruz.

Speaking of Cruz, for viewers only familiar with the actress’ Hollywood work seeing “Volver” will be a revelation. The beauteous performer has derived fantastic portraits working in her native tongue, it as only been since she’s flown across the Ocean where she’s had problems. Now, much like her costar, she’s back working for Almodóvar and to say her Raimunda isn’t any less than immediately Oscar-worthy would be a lie. This is one of the most multifaceted feminine portraits of the entire year, and from now on whenever anyone talks about how crappy an actress Cruz is all a person has to do is focus their attention on this to prove them otherwise.

So once again Almodóvar has crafted a classic. “Volver” is miraculous, a joyous experience running the emotional gamut like no other melodrama I’ve seen this year. It is an intimate treasure trove of exquisite writing, fluid direction and wondrous performances, the whole thing coming together into such a spellbinding whole I can’t wait to see it again (and again and again and again).

Film Rating: êêêê  (out of 4)