review by Lise Patron
I Am Love 2009
Watched Jun 23, 2012
Lise’s review:
I am Love looks great, the performances are fantastic (especially Tilda Swinton) and it is a tad melancholic, being about a mother's regrets that lead her to live through and for her adult children. When the mother meets a chef, she must decide to continue living her life in comfort or choose the path not taken years ago to live a life full of passion. In Tilda Swinton's hands, the mother is a complex character, always subtly struggling with the life she has while missing the life she thought she would have. But even the mighty Tilda can't save this film from being a feature length Italian version of Dallas. For the first 30-60 minutes you aren't sure if the film is about the family or the servants, the shots are pretty even between them. I didn't mind that too much once I understood that the idea was to just go with it and get a feel for how these people live. When it included lots of details of food, then I understood that it really was just a presentation of how these people live. But then it turned into a full blown soap opera with a score that thought the film was much more dramatic than it was. I didn't hate it, but I kept my eyes glued on Tilda the entire time and that saved it for me.
Are you going to write a review for this one? I pretty much loathed this film and would like to hear the opinion of someone I respect who, seemingly, liked it unless it is just some Swinton love, which I can't really argue with.
Thanks for the reminder. The day I tried to post the review Letterboxd wasn't accepting it. I could see hating this film. My husband did. I'll certainly never watch it again, but there was something about Tilda's character that I identified with. I really liked seeing how the road not taken manifested itself in her life, so subtely you probably wouldn't know. It becomes obvious when she meets the chef, but it was before that that I enjoyed her the most. If it weren't for her character, I would have given it 2 stars.
I'll be skippin' this one my friends. :-)
Yeah, ShowBill. That's probably the best bet.
Your review was far more engaging than the film. It almost made me want to watch the movie, if I didn't know better already. :D
This film is definitely style over substance, but not in a good way like with, say, The Fall.
Just got the Blu of The Fall two days ago. Can't wait to see it again. Fell in love with it the first time I saw it--I hope it withstands a 2nd viewing.
I feel like it only gets better on repeat viewings, and on Blu Ray it looks absolutely amazing.
Len! I am sincerely curious. I know that there are people who think The Fall is style over substance, but I haven't talked to any before. I would really (respectfully!) love to know more.
Oh I actually really like The Fall. I loved the relationship between the kid and the patient and the way Tarsem let the kid act like a real kid. I think most people who fall into the style over substance camp did not buy into that relationship and were therefore unable to take the ride into the fairytale world. Fortunately I was not one of those people.
Oh OK, I think I see what you meant by your original comment now. Thanks! Yea, I loved that relationship - if you listen to the commentary with Lee Pace, that comes out even more.
Yeah sorry Julie, I realize now I sort of contradicted myself there. I left out a line in my initial comment indicating which side I fell on. I am a fan of The Fall and I've argued more than once with people who say it is purely an exercise in style. Not like this movie, which, to me, has nothing behind it. I'd definitely rather talk about The Fall than this movie.
haha no problem =) I think I saw you moved recently, that's enough to drive anyone mad.