numero uno

well i haven't given up so far. film number one seen. done. finished. well maybe not quite now i have to write about the darn thing.
first things first. the film. it was the Italian family drama 'i am love' starring the ice queen, beach lover herself Tilda Swinton as family matriarch, Russian born, Emma. (i hope you noticed the name of this blog...it's in Italian...like the film...geddit???)
in the first few moments of the film we are hurled into the politics of this upper class family. the family home is intimidating in it's grandeur and at the same time seems synthetic and artificial, nicely linking to the artificial nature of the families interactions with each other. we meet the charming son, Edo, the strong willed daughter, Betta, and the steadfast maid to all, Ida. as well as many others in the family i can no longer really remember. the exquisite cinematography leads us through their everyday lives, the equilibrium of the house hold, extravagant parties, designer clothes etc.
as the story progresses we see that perhaps all is not as good as it seems, as anyone who knows a story is aware the structure of this family will surely be thrown off balance in some way. and lo and behold the daughter's a lesbian! (who, may i say cuts her hair very short, as one who has done this personally i do not appreciate this stereotype...) but perhaps more interesting then this little development is Emma's increasing fascination with Edo's new best bud, Antonio, the rather dashing yet sensitive chef. we see Emms become quite overwhelmed with his prawns in ratatouille...if you know what i mean? Emma then goes all rural on us as the new lovers spend some time in his countryside kitchen retreat. we see her casually discard the designer labels in favour of this more rewarding way of life. i should point out at this point there is perhaps too much Tilda Swinton boob on show in this scene. not to give too much away, as perhaps expected crisis ensues as the family try to regain normality and the event which follows is genuinely shocking, there were audible gasps in the soho curzon! the final scene is fairly bizarre with very loud Italian opera blasted over a sequence of people looking at each other suspiciously but there is a positive message to be had...i think?
Tilda here is to be commended highly. she commands the screen and the two languages (Russian and Italian) will ease and elegance. and I'm someone who has always been unsure of here. fair to say her dresses are slightly more becoming then the dress she wore when she collected her Oscar for Michael Clayton (the words potato and sack come to mind) but in all fairness a job well done!
the direction i feel needs to be commended also, Luca Guadagnino does a excellent job. at first i felt the film lacked any heart or passion but as things progressed i realised this was a very conscious decision. it created a sense of no feeling within the family itself and as the film grew in heart so did the characters.the film was accompanied with a very intelligently selected musical score which also added to the constricting atmosphere. i do feel however that perhaps the style was a little too self indulgent with lingering shots of a marble pillar which don't really progress the story in anyway.
all in all and intelligent and interesting film and one i would recommend to anyone with an appreciation for the finer things in life.
my opinion is a solid 7/10
keep reading for my take of another film coming to a computer screen near you shortly!
lily x