| ‘I AM LOVE’ - review |
| Written by Sian Rafferty |
| Thursday, 15 July 2010 12:38 |
 Now I don’t make a habit of eavesdropping, but as I lounged outside the cinema after watching ‘I AM LOVE', I happened to overhear one particular conversation between two women. In particular, they were reminiscing on the sumptuous party scene at the start of the film and one snippet of the conversation in particular stuck with me. Lady One, let’s call her Betty, mentioned how scenes like that - long lingering scenes which perfectly encapsulate the organisation and proceedings of said high-class party - were scenes she could watch forever. I think this perfectly sums up my feelings towards this particular film: ‘I Am Love’ is a snatch, a perfect little clip of the high life, one which we all press our noses up against the window to see. However with the wealth and beauty comes a price, and after watching this film, I wouldn’t swap sides of the glass for all the money in the world. Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton) is the highbrowed matriarch of a modern Italian dynasty. She has the perfect family; the ambitious son, the suitably arty daughter. She spends her days orchestrating luncheons, running small errands, and heading the household. Her businessman husband knows he can always rely on her to be the model wife, charming and aloof. Call it the self destructiveness of the human condition, but I assume we all what happens next in this picture I paint. When you are at the top, there is only one way to go. Emma’s Achilles heel turns out to be one young chef, Antonio Biscaglia (Edoardo Gabbriellini), who with his bold stares and the high dreams of youth, introduces her to the sumptuous world of the sublime, where the pleasures of the palate and the flesh rule.  With her porcelain skin, and a grace which can only be gained through generations of good breeding, Swinton is pure magic as Emma. She soars through every scene, sometimes with the poise of a great gliding swan, other times with the skittish and frantic joy of a young girl. The rest of the cast, from dark and dreaming Antonio, Emma’s golden and beloved daughter Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher), her handsome upright son Edoardo Jr. (Fabio Parenti), and her stoic husband Tancredi (Pippo Delbono), all fit into the family jigsaw perfectly. Each have their part in this operatic drama, and the doomed proceedings unfold like clockwork. This film depicts another world; one of grace and wealth and manners, yet one where trouble and turmoil hover just beyond the horizon. ‘I AM LOVE’ is a beautifully shot masterpiece and feels like another era, a dusty golden age long past. THINGS YOU MOST NEED TO KNOW: An almost Shakespearean tragedy of modern nobility - and the ultimate price which we must pay for indulgence. HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 + 1/2 [ out of 10 ] YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE... the feeling of ‘Tender Is The Night’ and ‘The Great Gatsby'. Money, class, manners and inevitable loss. WATCH: ‘Certified Copy' - with Juliette Binoche - for another European tale of ageless romance at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival.  |
