Young married couple Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and Filippo (Filippo Nigro) have been married long enough to have become almost completely jaded by their lots in life, with most of their individual aspirations having been set aside some time ago. As their marriage begins to fall apart, the two encounter a strange old man (Massimo Girotti) who calls himself Simone since he can't seem to recall his real name or much about his past history. Filippo brings the man home to stay with them, which
initially irritates Giovanna. Over time, she gradually befriends the confused old man and eventually notices a tattoo on his arm indicative of his being a WWII Holocaust survivor. Taking "Simone" to an old Roman ghetto, she helps him remember his name (Davide) and his time spent in that very ghetto -- which includes recalling the very painful memory of his lover Simone's capture and murder at the hands of the Nazis. Meanwhile, Giovanna has been spending her free time impulsively peeping across the street at her attractive neighbor Lorenzo (Raoul Bova) -- who in turn has been spying on her. Giovanna is thus forced to decide between Filippo and Lorenzo, as well as possibly realizing a long dormant professional dream that her new friend Davide may be able to help her undertake. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
Ozpetek ends up with a lot of balls in the air, and he has to do some scrambling to keep up. He pulls it off, but it feels like he's making this harder than it needs to be.
The film's puzzlelike structure is a help; Simone's secret may not be hard to guess, but watching him work it out with the aid of Giovanna and Lorenzo consistently holds our interest.
Cast and production values are serviceable but bland and there are some hiccoughs in the story, making this intriguing film perhaps best suited for a viewing on DVD at home.
Ozpetek continues to explore his pet themes in his latest film while toning down the melodramatic excesses and meandering storylines that dragged down his previous work.
Aspires to be a self-actualization session for stifled wives, a plea for gay rights, a Holocaust story and a class in pastry appreciation, all at once...
What a brilliant movie, Touching & mind-blowing, Simply superb with great perfs & a beautiful music score, Interesting portrayal of realistic characters, A movie that manages to be emotional without falling into trite sentimentalism, A movie I won't forget easily
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