I am Love

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening this Friday in theatres is a story of a woman losing and finding herself in director Luca Guadagnino and Magnolia Pictures release of “I am Love”.

This film tells the story of Emma (Tilda Swinton), a woman born in Russia who becomes the wife of Edoardo Recchi, Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti), an Italian whose family owns a successful fabric factory in Milan.

She becomes acclimated into the life of the Recchi family and in the process loses who she once was. Emma runs an impeccable house that is filled with warm colors but cold emotion. She also cares for her three children that are coming into adult problems of their own.

Her son Edorado, Jr. (Flavio Parenti) is slated to take over the family business with his father but sees no honor in the way it is run. As the factory is being sold, Edorado turns his attention to friend Antonio Biscaglia (Edorado Gabbriellini), a brilliant chef and plans to go into business with him.

Daughter Elizabetta (Alba Rohrwacher) has a secret of her own that would never be accepted by the family. Going off to school she frees herself of a family who lives on tradition.

But Emma sees the beauty in the food created by the chef but also feels strongly for Antonio. As an affair develops, so does a turn of events that takes the family down a desperate road but one that may finally free Emma.

FINAL WORD: Swinton is absolutely beautiful as Emma. This character is so detached from the family she has been taken into. Although she does everything correctly and exquisitely there is no emotion attached to it. In this Italian family, she is just another piece of art they collect.

Gabbrellini as Antonio plays the role as a shy but a brilliantly creative chef who also has a family who doesn’t understand his life. Parenti as Edorado is also going through family growing pains and plays his role dutifully.

Rohrwacher as daughter Elizabetta, in my opinion, displayed the equal pains as her character mother. Finding a life that would include her families blessing is almost destructive if it weren’t for her mother.

Magnolia Pictures has done it again as far as I’m concerned. They continually put out the most original pieces of work. There is such a rich quality here that speaks volumes about the limitations we put on ourselves regarding love and the pains we go to to find it.

Other cast members include: Pippo Delbono as Tancredi Recchi, Diane Fleri as Eva Ugolini, Maria Paiato as Ida Roselli, Maria Berenson as Allegra Recchi, and Mattia Zaccaro as Gianluca Recchi.

The film has garnered two wins from the Boulder International Film Festival for Best Feature Film and the Dulbin International Film Festival for Best Female Performance for Tilda Swinton. Each of these awards are well deserved!

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give “I am Love” three and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. The film moves slowly and with purpose. From one scene to the next the viewer is caught up into the lives of a family that, on the outside, seem to have it all but on the inside are fighting for their place in the world.

It is cinematically brilliant in the landscape, moving in music and delicately beautiful in the balance of telling the inner stories of the characters involved. In the mix is a soul that is waiting to be experienced by the viewer.

In the end there is always an escape.