Whether you go with this idea might depend on how many times you've seen it before, in sentimental American films. The fact that the film is more artful doesn't make the ghost of the mother less of a cliche.
Comment
11/05/09
Genova (2008)
77
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:30
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Michael Winterbottom’s tale of grief and mourning, though frustrating in places, is intelligent filmmaking with superb central performances.
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Hope Davis, Colin Firth, Perla Haney-Jardine, Catherine Keener
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Reviews for Genova
Genova fails to provide the view with much that is satisfying and instead accomplishes only a superficial examination of grief and the way people respond.
11/05/09
A beautifully observed, moving, yet unfocused story about a professor (Colin Firth) and his two daughters, dealing with the intensities of feeling after a death in the family.
11/04/09
It’s an extremely well-made film, but just a bit too subdued for my taste.
11/04/09
Though he labours the symbolism of the maze, Winterbottom infuses this otherwise subtle observational drama with the verisimilitude that has become his chief style signature.
11/04/09
A brooding drama about grief, which is greatly aided by the performances and its scenic locations.
11/03/09
A delightful sojourn for one indie filmmaker and his cast and crew in a fascinating old Italian town.
11/01/09
Mainstream audiences may rue the lack of a dramatic arc or conventional plot, but this beautifully photographed and emotive tale proves to be achingly authentic and heartfelt without resorting to perfunctory flashbacks and soppy musical montages.
11/01/09
I didn't know Michael Winterbottom could make a dull movie until now. Genova, otherwise known perhaps as The Narrow Lanes of Genova, is a strange film which seems to have lost its bearings and its direction somewhere between concept and production
10/31/09
Life affirming and warm, Genova captures a great sense of place as we explore the intricate maze of cobbled streets, the historic buildings with peeling facades and well-worn green shutters, sunny beaches and dense forests
10/31/09
Genova conveys its strongest themes through insinuation, and modulates its shifting moods through Winterbottom's precisely calibrated DV processing.
09/01/09
Top CriticWinterbottom employs a naturalistic style that, in its self-conscious flatness, becomes an affectation, and the complete, wanton lack of any kind of drama is frustrating.
03/31/09
A tender and touching film.
03/31/09
Spree killer thrillers, experimental rockumentaries, adaptations of unadaptable books and now supernatural dramas - is there anything Michael Winterbottom cannot do?
03/28/09
With a stronger third act and less spiritual flounce this could have been something really special, but as it stands its merely a solid entry in the versatile writer/director's CV that will no doubt be eclipsed by whatever he chooses to do next.
03/28/09
There is a vague sense of unease in the air but this remains a tedious movie in which everything remains unspoken, underdeveloped and annoyingly inconclusive.
03/28/09
Part psychodrama, part Italian travelogue, Michael Winterbottom’s latest is the progeny of an A-list film-maker and B-movie material.
03/28/09
There's a powerful emotional undertone to this film that overcomes its slightly thin structure and give us plenty to chew on, especially if we've experienced some sort of personal tragedy.
03/28/09
A film that’s ambiguous, involving and very intelligent indeed.
03/27/09
After his playful turn in Mamma Mia!, Firth cuts an altogether more sombre figure in this thoughtful study of bereavement. With no shock twist or homicidal dwarf up its sleeve, though, Winterbottom’s film seems a little self-defeating.
03/27/09
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