My body, my choice: "Vergine giurata" [2015, Italy, Albania]

There's no need for alarm; we needn't fear a militant or agenda-driven feminist narrative in Laura Bispuri's debut feature "Vergine giurata" [Eng. Title: Sworn Virgin]. It is rather a nuanced critique of restrictive sexual and cultural norms in some communities and our protagonist's determination for the right to his/her own body.

The film begins with 'Mark' - formerly Hana (Alba Rohrwacher) leaving her frozen Albanian village behind for an Italian city where Lila (Flonja Kodheli), the daughter of her foster parents, lives. They were close and grew up together, until Lila decided to elope with her Albanian lover barely a week before her arranged marriage.

While Lila has since established a family in Italy, a tomboyish Hana found the idea of becoming a traditional housewife oppressive, and has hence drawn upon a right from local custom that would allow her to forego her societal obligations as a woman - she had taken a community-sanctioned vow to celibacy by cutting her hair short and dressing up as a man.

While Hana may have, in theory, became Mark - she had a man's rights, including the right to bear arms and hunt for a living, she was in practise already branded for life a sexual identity from her days as Hana, and her new-found independence as Mark only led to her further isolation. She had to leave, and hence her arrival at Lila's doorstep unannounced. A new life now beckons for Hana...

The thoughtfully meandering film inter-cuts the past with the present to paint a vivid portrait of Hana and her world, one that resonates universally despite its specifics. As our evolving understanding of sexuality and identity keep reshaping modern lives, it's imperative to keep the 'dialogue' within society open without necessarily being combative or antagonistic. The film achieves this in no small measure thanks to Ms. Bispuri's commendable direction and Ms. Rohrwacher's assured performance. For once, it's also a relief to see Albanians not portrayed as criminal or refugee stereotypes, but as fellow humans with life goals not too dissimilar to our own. Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Alba Rohrwacher
Since the film specifically focuses on Hana's metamorphosis from someone uncomfortable with her body and identity - to the extent of even living in discomfort by wrapping layers of cloth around her breasts to appear less feminine, brief nudity becomes unavoidable while portraying her gradual transformation.



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Alba Rohrwacher in "Bella Addormentata" [2012 Italy]

Veteran director Marco Bellocchio's latest drama, "Bella Addormentata" [Eng. Title: Dormant Beauty] takes on the subject of euthanasia in a predominantly catholic Italy, by setting the film against a backdrop of real-life events in 2009, when the father of Eluana Englaro finally won the right to take her off the feeding tube that kept her alive in vegetative state for seventeen years following a road accident. It was a big news item in Italy that also prompted national and political debate.

The director presents three parallel sub-plots on the topic against the background of the Eluano Englaro case, using differing viewpoints. The first concerns the strained relationship between conscientious right-wing senator Uliano Beffardi (Toni Servillo), and his daughter Maria (Alba Rohrwacher) - a religious pro-life campaigner who travels to Udine to keep vigil outside the private hospital where Eluana is being weaned off the feeding tube. During her stay, Maria unexpectedly falls head-over-heels in love with pro-choice activist from the opposite camp, Roberto (Michele Riondino). It will take a while for the daughter, in deciding to answer her dad's repeated attempts to get in touch with her. The second plot concerns a vigorously religious former film star (Isabelle Huppert) praying for her comatose daughter Divina. Separated from her husband and son, the actress is determined to revive Divina through her piety. The third story concerns Rossa (Maya Sansa), a suicidal junkie who enters the hospital to steal drugs, but is caught in the act, and ends up as a patient after slashing her wrists. Doting doctor Pallido (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) will lay at her bedside, to try and reason with her obsession to kill herself. The three tales, through varying degrees of success, reignites a debate on the controversial topic of a person's right-to-die in a catholic Italy...

Bellocchio loves to weave his stories around historical events, like in his recently acclaimed Mussolini-biopic Vincere. But where as Vincere triumphs in terms of both its artistic and technical achievements, this film's success is at best, marginal. Perhaps because of the ambiguousness in the characterisation, and partly because it must have simply run out of time, Bella Addormentata has left too many loose ends to complete the picture, relying instead on the various melodramatic moments to keep the audience engaged. It has however become an excellent vehicle for most of its lead actors, notably Toni Servillo and Alba Rohrwacher, to showcase their awesome talents - they dig deep into their characters to unearth more than what the screenplay otherwise offers.

The film does have its 'Bellocchio' moments however, like the cynical doctor openly offering the odds to colleagues as to how long Eluana Englaro will last, and the party psychiatrist (veteran actor Roberto Herlitzka) with his wisecracks and nuggets of wisdom. Bellocchio-regular - the beautiful and ridiculously sexy Maya Sansa adds a bit of spice to proceedings as the fiery but suicidal drug-addict. Ms. Huppert too delivers a well-rounded performance as the ageing actress determined to save her comatose daughter. The other noteworthy aspects of the film will have to be its impeccable cinematography and the appealing soundtrack. At least on these points, the film scores, and is Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Alba Rohrwacher
In the only scene of nudity, we see Maria, played by the exceptionally talented Alba Rohrwacher, with Roberto (Michele Riondino) spending the night in a hotel room. After telling him that she wants to be with him forever, Maria reassures Roberto that she isn't really the clingy-type - that she'll leave him in peace in a little while.



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Alba Rohrwacher in "La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi" BR720 [2010 Italy]

Very occasionally, a film affects you so deeply that it leaves you speechless and numb. After watching Saverio Castanzo's poignant film, "La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi" [Eng. Title: the Solitude of Prim Numbers], I pretty much didn't feel like doing anything - everything else appeared less important after what I saw. The haunting story, imagery and sounds are going to stay with me for a while. And that in any language, is a "memorable experience" indeed!

Storyline:
Mattia and Alice are friends, each scarred by a horrific event during childhood that prevent them from having normal relationships. Based on a novel by the same name, the title alludes to the loneliness of prime numbers - divisible only by themselves or the number 1. Just as these numbers can't fit anywhere else apart from the group of 'misfits' called Prime Numbers, Alice and Mattia are also destined to lead lonely existences. While Alice is left with a permanent handicap after a skiing accident, Mattia is ridden with guilt for abandoning his autistic twin sister, when specifically instructed by his mum to keep her with him at all times during a classmate's birthday party. Unable to reach out to anyone else, they meet as teenagers at school, and connect. When they grow into adulthood, Mattia accepts a scholarship to study abroad, and they go their separate ways. But destiny had bound them forever, which plays a role in bringing them back together after seven long years. Mattia is now overweight, and a prominent scientist in Germany, and Alice is suffering from eating disorders following a failed marriage. The film doesn't furnish too much details during this period, or predict what happens to them next, but merely poses the question whether these two prime numbers will ever find it within them to live together.

About the film:
The actors portraying the protagonists as adults, Alba Rohrwacher as Alice, and Luca Marinelli as Mattia, had to literally undergo physical transformation - Ms. Rohrwacher lost 10 kilos, and Marinelli gained 15 kilos for the seminal scenes that happen after their seven year separation. The director felt it was important to show the passage of time in a believable manner, and also that these major transformations will help his actors to relate intimately with what is happening to the characters they are playing. That's some sacrifice from both the main actors, and hats off to their artistic commitment. Both their performances are exceptional, and Alba Rohrwacher is especially sensational. She is now definitely up there along with Giovanna Mezzogiorno as among the finest actresses in Italy today.

The film is excellently directed - the screenplay weaves a delicate story by shredding and repositioning various events tactfully in a non-linear fashion, like an exquisitely made piece of tapestry. The soundtrack is thoughtfully chosen to resonate with the mood of the characters and the period in which they are playing. The cinematography and lighting beautifully captures the mood and circumstances of every single event in the film. I'd indeed be angry if this film doesn't go on to win several more awards.

This film isn't actually a tragedy, it isn't a 'conventional' love story either, but portrays some painfully tragic moments and its aftermath in the protagonists' lives. The director has termed it "a romantic horror story", but whatever it is, it is certainly one of the best new films I've seen this year. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!






Scene Guide:

• Not much nudity in the first part - it is mainly to show Alba Rohrwacher performing her own stunts as she stumbles and falls while rushing to the toilet.
• This is how we are introduced to Alice after many years.
• Alice is meeting Mattia for the first time in seven years. This is a beautifully made scene with restrained performances from both the lead characters.

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Alba Rohrwacher in "Cosa Voglio di Più" [2010 Italy]

Director Silvio Soldini has just made a fan out of me, and his film "Cosa Voglio di Più" [Eng. Title: What More do I Want] has definitely made me eat my words about contemporary Italian cinema being rudderless. This is probably the best film I've seen this year, and would be surprised if it doesn't pick up any awards along the way.

Anna, an accountant, is living with Alessio, who runs a department store. He loves her deeply, and wants to take their relationship to the next level, i.e., wants to have a child of their own. Anna first sees Domenico, a married man with children, at an office party - he works for the catering firm used for the party. When he casually invites her for a cup of coffee one day, Anna agrees, allowing herself some indulgence after a good day at work. Despite knowledge of their circumstances, they embark on an affair, and find themselves unable to control the course of events.

True, several films had been made with this theme, but what sets this apart is the very realistic manner in which it builds their relationship. The screenplay and direction is the result of acute observation of human behaviour. The director develops the characters gradually, sometimes using seemingly irrelevant details, until we get to know them quite intimately, and the infrequent silent scenes are used for the protagonists to portray the complexity of their predicament as they embark on this dangerous journey. The film firmly establishes that these are normal people who have to deal with normal day-to-day problems, and who are not in a position to 'afford' their indulgence. Whether we agree with their choice of action or not, it is depicted objectively and in a non-judgemental way. And the strong technical and creative team that Mr. Soldini had at his disposal, notably editing and set design, certainly helped in producing this flawless little gem. It is for these reasons that I think this is an important film.

The unassumingly sexy Alba Rohrwacher plays Anna quite brilliantly in the film, as does the well respected actor who plays Domenico, Pierfrancesco Favino. The passionate sex scenes in the film are plainly essential to advance the story, and it is great to see that there is genuine chemistry between the actors playing the lovers. I originally saw a screener version of this film, and promptly had to order a DVD (from which these scenes were cut). Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!




Compilation 1:
Made of two scenes. First is when Anna and Alessio have their inaugural shower together in their new cubicle. The second is when Anna and Domenico finally manage to make time and book a tacky Motel for their first sexual encounter.








Compilation 2:
Made from four different scenes of Anna and Domenico together. There is always an air of tension in these scenes, beautifully portrayed by Alba Rohrwacher.





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