Dvd
I Am Love
An epic Italian drama telling the story of the wealthy Recchi family whose lives are undergoing sweeping changes. Eduardo Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti), the family patriarch, has decided to name a successor to the reigns of his massive industrial company, surprising everyone by splitting power between his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson Edo (Flavio Parenti).
But Edo dreams of opening a restaurant with his friend Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini), a talented chef. At the heart of the family is Tancredi’s wife Emma (Tilda Swinton), a Russian immigrant who has adopted the culture of Milan. An adoring and attentive mother, her situation is rocked when she falls quickly and deeply in love with Antonio and embarks on a passionate love affair.
Starring Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Pippo Delbono, Diane Fleri
Directed by Luca Guadagnino ('Melissa P.', 'Cuoco contadino')
Written by Luca Guadagnino, Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, Walter Fasano
World Cinema, Romance, Drama | 2hr 0mins | Rated (M) | contains sex scenes | Origin: Italy | Language: English, Italian and Russian with English subtitles | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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4
I Am Love is like an impressionist painting, an artwork of thoughtful brushstrokes, each one adding a richness to the overall effect. The story unfolds slowly, gently, the details interwoven into a family story representative of much wider ideas. From a distance, the swarm of characters on both sides of Italy's socio-economic divide are no more than disparate players. But they also communicate the film's grander themes of transformation.
Director Luca Guadagnino has successfully painted a fulsome picture of a family on the cusp of change. It's a triumph that we care about this coming-of-age for each of the many characters in the film, particularly Tilda Swinton's convincing oppressed housewife.
The workers – cooks, maids, cleaners – are also part of the film's rich tapestry, and Guadagnino gracefully captures their behind-the-scenes duties to show just how much back-stage preparation must go into being the perfect Italian housewife, as well as the class divide at the heart of this story.
Food-lover Guadagnino cleverly uses his props as motifs, and the lighting as theatrical – slightly balmy – devices to elevate emotion. A spotlight closes in on Swinton as her lips crack into succulent seafood and her chef lover pipes nipple-like decorations on his hors d'ouevres. It's just a tad hammy when she transforms into her real self following a lustful rolling in the grass scene, swapping from her bourgeoise get-up to a head-scarf and her old Russian name. But it's a moment that shows the chef's understanding of essence doesn't just apply to his food.
If the plot didn't literally fall victim to melodrama and farce towards the end, I Am Love would embody its very title with ease.
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The people's reviews
6 reviews
Press Reviews
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Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Did she understand when she married her husband what sort of family she was joining? She knew they were rich Italian aristocrats, operators of textile mills in Milan. But did she understand that as a wife from Russia, she would serve and provide and even be loved, but would never truly be a member?
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New York Times
Amid all the luxuries on display in the Italian film “I Am Love” — the chandeliers, tapestries and paneled walls, the paintings, statuary and white-gloved servants — nothing holds your gaze as forcefully as Tilda Swinton’s alabaster face.
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View Auckland (Matt Turner)
4
The film is beautifully shot, with Yorick Le Saux's stunning cinematography making the most of both the gorgeous Milanese locations and the sumptuous shots of food.
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