A different kind of romance

Last evening, CineVerse peeled back the petals on a fragrant but thorny flower called "I Am Love," an enigmatic arthouse picture from Italy starring Tilda Swinton. Here's a summary of what was discussed:

HOW WAS THIS FILM DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU EXPECTED? WHAT WAS REFRESHING, UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE ABOUT I AM LOVE?

·       The plot is not very substantial; instead of a focus on narrative structure and storyline, there’s more of a focus on sensory stimulation, esthetics, emotional context and visuals

·       The score can feel bombastic and emotionally overwhelming, but arguably it informs each scene and telegraphs how we should feel about what we see

·       The film is erotically daring: Tilda Swinton isn’t afraid to reveal her body in a very candid way, and the lovemaking scenes are passionate, raw and sensually charged

·       The cinematography is colorful, lush, intentionally overexposed to give a tinge of radiance and resonance

·       There are 5 languages spoken: Italian, Russian, English, Spanish and Arabic

·       Interesting juxtaposition of images: editing together shots of lovemaking interspersed with shots of leaves, insects, etc., as if suggesting a communal experience with nature; also, consider the scene where e Emma is eating, and we get sudden odd close-ups of her food and how it’s being eaten, almost as if indulging in a delectable meal is an orgasmic experience

·       The world around them seems to be mirroring the characters’ emotional state: the outdoor lovemaking depicts insects and flowers that also seem to be celebrating; when they’re sad, it rains; a tragedy seems to provoke flowers to fade

·       The picture pays special attention to color, and color is given emotional and thematic significance: according to one writer, “the autumnal tones are frequently used to underline connections between characters; Emma and her daughter each wear colors previously worn by the other; Ida the housekeeper pours orange juice that matches her shirt; even the leaves on the plant are the precise shade of green to compliment the walls and furniture (in the Recchi family home)”

  

EMMA SEEMS TO BE STUCK BETWEEN HER DAUGHTER AND SON AND FORCED TO DECIDE WHICH ONE TO EMULATE. CAN YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF THIS THEORY?

·       Her son is idealistic and bound to family and preserving tradition

·       Her daughter is a newly transformed lesbian who isn’t afraid to indulge in her desires and pursue the sensual world

·       Emma must decide which path to follow; it’s obvious which one she chooses first, as she is shown cutting her hair short like her daughter’s and wearing the same colors her daughter does

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THEMES TACKLED IN THIS MOVIE?

·       Free will, self-discovery and the pursuit of pleasure vs. conforming to society’s rules and living up to the expectations of others

·       The potency and undeniable allure of love, which can act like a consuming force of nature

·       The characters almost seem to be puppets of Cupid

·       Family, legacy and the lessons passed on between generations

·       The rewards and consequences of acting on impulse

·       The unpredictability of the human animal

DOES I AM LOVE BRING ANY OTHER FILMS OR WORKS TO MIND?

·       The movies of Luchino Visconti, especially The Leopard, which also deals with a similar family and legacy-type situation

·       The films of Douglas Sirk, which focused on emotional melodramas and women’s issues, such as Magnificent Obsession, Written on the Wind, and All That Heaven Allows

·       The films of Michelangelo Antonioni

·       The visually poetic movies of Terence Malick

·       The book Madame Bovary

·       Hitchcock’s Vertigo in how Emma pursues the object of her obsession