Thursday, August 18, 2005
Le conseguenze dell' amore (The consequences of love)
A super-stylish Italian film about a middle- aged man, called Titta Di Girolamo, that has spent almost 10 years in a Swiss hotel, in what seems to be a Golden Exile from Hell: fixed routines, neatness and order all around, exquisite politeness and the same dinner companions over the years. Most of his time he spends it doing nothing, smoking and watching his fellow guests, who seem only a bit less lost than himself.
The only disruptions of this extremely predictable life are his occasional visits to a nearby bank to deliver a suitcase full of cash - that a team of clerks diligently count without making questions - and the everyday sight of Sofia, the beautiful waitress at the hotel bar. She is a vibrant young woman, half-intrigued, half-annoyed, by the aloofness and reserve of a guest that has attended the bar every evening for a long time, without greeting her even once. Because Titta keeps humankind at bay, when not directly observing it with the detached gaze of an entomologist.
However, Sofia is the only one that persists in trying to crack the defenses of the mysterious guest. The day he finally starts to consider letting her in, he makes a mental note of "never underestimating the consequences of love". And consequences there will be, that's for sure.
This is a very cool story, told in Dry Martini fashion: chilled, transparent and free of sugary elements. The olive of the cocktail are the sub-plots about an aging couple and a bunch of colorful characters that cast some light on Titta's past history and his reasons for vegetating in Switzerland.
You might like to carry a shawl with you anyway, as the story warms up at the same speed as its main character and the mise-en-scene is deliberately cool and distant. But the coldness and pace give the film its character. Thankfully, this is not your typical example of empty, watching-the-paint-go-dry filming style.
The only disruptions of this extremely predictable life are his occasional visits to a nearby bank to deliver a suitcase full of cash - that a team of clerks diligently count without making questions - and the everyday sight of Sofia, the beautiful waitress at the hotel bar. She is a vibrant young woman, half-intrigued, half-annoyed, by the aloofness and reserve of a guest that has attended the bar every evening for a long time, without greeting her even once. Because Titta keeps humankind at bay, when not directly observing it with the detached gaze of an entomologist.
However, Sofia is the only one that persists in trying to crack the defenses of the mysterious guest. The day he finally starts to consider letting her in, he makes a mental note of "never underestimating the consequences of love". And consequences there will be, that's for sure.
This is a very cool story, told in Dry Martini fashion: chilled, transparent and free of sugary elements. The olive of the cocktail are the sub-plots about an aging couple and a bunch of colorful characters that cast some light on Titta's past history and his reasons for vegetating in Switzerland.
You might like to carry a shawl with you anyway, as the story warms up at the same speed as its main character and the mise-en-scene is deliberately cool and distant. But the coldness and pace give the film its character. Thankfully, this is not your typical example of empty, watching-the-paint-go-dry filming style.
# posted by Pandora @ 4:12 AM 
