Luca Guadagnino keenly brings to life the buried desire of a wealthy housewife. But although the director gently yet powerfully evokes these repressed feelings, this betrays the film’s under-explored characterisation.
★★★☆☆
The senses are everything in Luca Guadagnino’s romantic drama I Am Love. This film is at its best when it enters purely dreamlike territory, in which protagonist Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton) has her world upended in favour of a lush, evocative landscape of shifting images. Whether the effect is conveyed through graceful, sweeping camera movements, John Adams’ sublime compositions or the movie’s gorgeous cinematography, Emma’s sensory experiences are afforded such beauty that the experience of watching these sequences is breathtaking.
Though Emma has an incredibly easygoing life as the wife of Tancredi Recchi (Pippo Delbono), the new heir in a family of old money, all is not well in her seemingly idyllic lifestyle. Guadagnino is subtle in how he evokes the disquieting aspects of this insular world, but gradually viewers will come to recognise the icy chill that descends over conversations between these ultra-wealthy family members. When Tancredi observes his children at a family gathering to celebrate his father Edoardo’s (Gabriele Ferzetti) birthday, he regards them so coolly that one wonders if he does not also view them as competitors.
Rarely is any discontentment spoken aloud, yet disapproving or questioning looks are often cast between these family members. It’s as if a fundamental part of their existence is to keep the others in check, ensuring that they are all locked into this superficially polite rigidity. It’s no wonder that Emma, whose marriage is passionless, is in need of an escape. But while Guadagnino never regards her passion in the detached way that most of her family do, it is drawn out purely through the senses, rather than any psychological inquiry into what makes this protagonist (and those close to her) tick. Through their polite but empty conversations, one can glimpse this family unit’s dispirited nature, but these interactions are like compelling subtext that requires a more direct dramatic form to allow viewers to truly connect with this protagonist’s woes.
Watching Emma come alive through her interactions with Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) is a wonderful sight, especially when their relationship begins without him even being present. Emma first falls in love with him through a dish that the young chef cooks, momentarily losing herself in a vivid fantasy world as she tastes it. Just like Emma, we are inclined to chase after these sensory highs through I Am Love, with Guadagnino recognising that restraint is essential in this film’s most evocative moments. It is the fact that these sequences are quietly powerful that makes them irresistible, where the simplest of interactions aren’t just treated sensually, but are imbued with an erotic charge that suggests an approach to life that this protagonist hasn’t unlocked in years.
Swinton is spectacular in the leading role, especially since she’s portraying a woman who effectively exists in a background role in her own life. She’s a supportive figure, and although her feelings are never prioritised when she’s not with Antonio, the extent of her desire is portrayed masterfully by the British actress. One wonders whether any role is worth the level of commitment that Swinton lent to this one, learning both Italian and Russian from scratch. The former is a requirement for the role, given that virtually all of her dialogue is in the language, but she also learned the latter since Emma is a Russian woman who built a new life for herself in Italy.
This is just one of the ways that this protagonist has had to conform to the lifestyle of her in-laws. And while it is compelling to witness her passions being uncovered after all these years of repression, the film makes no effort whatsoever to explore even the superficial elements of her and Tancredi’s marriage. He is a mystery, a shrewd face with no tangible personality underneath. Late in the film he will declare to Emma that she doesn’t exist, but that perfectly applies to his character, with screenwriters Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo and Walter Fasano never touching on how he and Emma navigate their lives (or daily interactions together), let alone investigating who he is. His relative absence in the story, as well as a late reveal in I Am Love that never earns its shock value, ensures that a vital aspect of this tale of desire and repression remains unexplored.
The Verdict
Though I am Love is certainly rich in its most evocative moments, the same cannot be said of its psychological inquiries into these characters. It is a technical marvel, with astounding acting, music, cinematography and direction, but on an emotional level it is only beautiful in brief bursts.
Words by Cian McGrath
I Am Love is available on digital download from 14th April
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