“Our family’s fortune is built on unity” Edoardo Recchi Sr
“I am Love” is an elegantly shot yet gracelessly structured piece of arthouse cinema.
The film centers on a wealthy industrialist family: the Recchis. Specifically we observe the film through the eyes of Emma (Tilda Swinton), a Russian Émigré who owes her name to her husband Tancredi Recchi the man of the household. In the film we view a clash between the public familial loyalties and the private intimate passions of Emma.
When it comes to reasons why I am Love doesn’t quite succeed a poor narrative tops the list. In the film certain scenes felt disconnected, going on for arbitrarily long periods and then abruptly stopping causing us to miss out on events that would have illuminated character. We are left not understanding why characters do the things they do. Emma’s mother in law for example is virtually a bit player, her motivations forever left un-established. Why Emma was unhappy in her marriage, why she chose to embark on an affair with Antonio, none of this was ever clear. Though the subtlety had its charm at points, much too much was never given a clear reason for happening. The film was very post-modern in the sense that it required audience members to be far too active in the construction of the meaning of certain scenes. This was lazy filmmaking masquerading as artful. Additionally the sparseness of dramatic tension brings to ones attention another flaw with the film: It is uncertain whether it wants to be a gripping family drama or an erotic melodrama focusing on a woman’s self-discovery.
The performances by the actors in this film are all exemplary, working with the little material they had to bring the characters to life; although this feels like they achieved this in spite of the script at points rather than because of it. Tilda Swinton, predictably can be singled out as having a notable portrayal of her character.
Stylistically, the film is exquisite with a sweeping score (if a tad overblown at points particularly the end) and haunting cinematography that inspires a desirable sense of displacement. The Recchi house is a character of its own, possessing an imposing and cold presence. In opposition to this there is the warm idyllic atmosphere of Antonio’s restaurant. Most of the film is shot beautifully apart from a few odd scenes where the camera seems to hover around aimlessly for too long with no fixed purpose in mind. Particularly there is a scene where we ignore Antonio and Emma and instead witness a car’s POV as it drives them towards their country getaway: this shot lasts far too long. In addition there is a sex scene which goes on forever and is accompanied by a grand swell of music that all seems garish and pointless.
In conclusion I Am Love is a mostly beautiful film that is let down by an unfocused narrative and camera.
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