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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It's in the blood: "Sangue del mio sangue" [2015 Italy]

Marco Bellocchio returns with his kin to give us two hauntingly connected tales from different times in his drama "Sangue del mio Sangue" [Eng. Title: Blood of My Blood].











The first half of the film is set in a cloistered convent in seventeenth century Bobbio. Young nun Benedetta (Lidiya Liberman) is accused of 'bewitching' a promising priest, who commits suicide upon discovery of their affair. To redeem his honour so that his remains could be reburied in a proper cemetery, Benedetta needs to 'confess' worshipping the devil - his brother and man of arms Federico (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) is told by the priest conducting the hearing.

Upon witnessing the horrors heaped upon Benedetta in the name of cleansing her spirit, Federico, who had already fallen under the spell of her beauty, is torn between allegiance to his brother and his own desire for Benedetta. The inquisition is also witnessed by a mysterious cardinal (Roberto Herlitzka).

The second half of the film moves to present day Bobbio, where the convent, now a disused prison, is about to be sold to a Russian tycoon. Unbeknownst to them, a frail old Count Basta (Roberto Herlitzka) resides in it, and only ever ventures out in the night. His canines are now causing him pain and he has long given up sucking illegal immigrants' blood. Having 'disappeared' from public life nine years ago, his existence is accidentally discovered by tax inspector, estate agent, and con-man Federico (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio).

It transpires that Count Basta still calls the shots in town when it mattered, thanks to his masonic group of fellow vampires, who continue to run the town's important affairs in one form or another. He nevertheless needs to stop his lair from being sold and sets out in the night to personally deal with the issue...

By juxtaposing characters across seemingly different tales, Bellocchio is obviously drawing parallels by suggesting that the 'dark' ages hasn't quite ended after all. Just as religion overwhelmingly influenced people's lives during the medieval ages, the affluent and people in authority in today's world too treat the general populace as children and dictate how they should live their lives. Both the tales reach a satisfactory ending during the final moments of the film, which features fine performances and is also ably supported by its atmospheric cinematography - especially the 'gothic' first half. There may be some loose ends like the Perletti sisters and the madman, but we get the film's message all the same. Of particular interest would be the authentic looking inquisition which Bellocchio had already worked on in an earlier film (La visione del sabba). Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon.it Bluray Link

 

The Nudity: Lidiya Liberman
In a brief scene, Benedetta emerges in the nude.



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A brief film review: "La pelle" [1981 Italy]

Liliana Cavani:
Veteran Italian director Liliana Cavani's films aren't always easy to love because they tend to tackle subjects that are often skirted around during mainstream discourse, and because they make for uncomfortable viewing and also leave behind a bitter aftertaste. Perhaps best known outside her native Italy for the controversial The Night Porter and the more recent Ripley's Game, Cavani's films nevertheless form a unique strand within the broader tradition of commedia all'italiana.












"La pelle" [Eng. Title: The Skin], based on a novel of the same name by writer, journalist, and diplomat Curzio Malaparte (whose villa was also famously featured in Jean-Luc Godard's unforgettable Le Mépris), is Cavani's attempt at a narrative of the Second World War from the losing side, particularly those women and children who not only became a commodity for sexual exploitation in wartime Naples, but also an essential engine of the local economy.

Set towards the end of Italy's active participation in the war, an American regiment has recently arrived to firstly liberate the city before marching on to Rome. The film follows Malaparte himself (Marcello Mastroianni), hired by the US General Mark Clark (Burt Lancaster) as his chief interpreter and liaison officer. He is also helping out with the logistics, and befriends young US officer Jimmy (Ken Marshall) in the process.

Events are woven around three central female characters in the film, each of contrasting circumstances and standing, to compare and analyse the consequences for women during the time of war; Principessa Consuelo Caracciolo (Claudia Cardinale), a woman of independent means and occasional lover of Malaparte, Deborah Wyatt (Alexandra King), a pioneering American aviator and powerful US senator's wife who insists upon joining the war effort and gets her way, and young working class lass Maria Concetta (Liliana Tari) that Jimmy befriends and falls in love with.

Part of Gen. Clark's brief to Malaparte is to accompany, entertain, and somehow persuade Ms. Wyatt to return back to the US. Malaparte does show her, to little effect, the seedier side to Naples, the suffering, and the chaos in the city, but it will take an apocalyptic event to finally make her change her mind. For Caracciolo and Concetta however, the same event will nevertheless be liberating, albeit in slightly different ways.

Cavani's film is not as much a political statement as a well-reasoned argument against generalisations in history and the need to examine the sociological impact on all sides during conflict; it opines that war is messy, extreme situations change people's values and allow them to do the otherwise unthinkable, and that trauma of war isn't merely restricted to the combatants. Cavani doesn't flinch from using shock when necessary to make her point. Some scenes verge on the graphic, like the unsuspecting final sequence when the audience are mostly waiting for the end credits to roll, where the director uses a shocking accident to make a plea against 'whitewashing' history for whatever it is worth. A difficult film in typical Cavani-style, but Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon Blu-ray Link

 

The Nudity: Rosaria della Femmina, Liliana Tari, and others
Apart from one scene where poverty forces the father of Maria Concetta to exhibit his daughter to American soldiers as the 'virgin of Naples' (an outraged Jimmy effectively succeeds in stopping the show from happening again), nudity in the film is largely fleeting and nonsexual. Alexandra King (Ms. Wyatt) has her dress torn while making an emergency landing on her plane. Rosaria della Femmina, in a scene tame when compared to her other film, plays a onetime society girl looking for a meal ticket. It is humorously illustrated when she compliments Jimmy's 'rump' in bed while eyeing the leg of ham he'd brought for her. Blonde merkins, apparently worn to attract black US soldiers, are randomly flashed by 'working women' in the streets. So, there's something frequently happening in this department throughout the film. :-)



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A film review: "Suburra" [2015 Italy]

Stefano Sollima, already successful in Italian television, impresses an international audience for the first time, and in no uncertain terms, in his second feature film, the gritty crime drama "Suburra".













The title metaphorically alludes to a seedy quarter of classical Rome where powerful and criminal elements once congregated to conduct shady deals. The film however, is set more recently in 2011 and focuses on an unholy alliance between corrupt politicians, cardinals, and various mafia outfits, setting off a chain reaction of events following an accident, just as the government pulls out all stops for a financial bailout during the economic crisis. It also advances the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI by a couple of years to add impact to an already complex plot involving these disparate characters.

When Filippo Malgradi (Pierfransisco Favino), a prominent minister of the crisis-ridden government 'unwinds' with a couple of prostitutes in a hotel room, the youngest of the two - fifteen year old Ilena (Yuliia Kolomiiets) drops dead due to a drug overdose. A reluctant Malgradi, with his career, reputation, and family life on the line, doesn't want to deal with the consequences, and dismissively asks the other prostitute Sabrina (Giulia Elettra Gorietti) to get rid of the body by any means, which she does with the help of Dagger (Giacomo Ferrara).

Dagger is from the Anacleti clan, and brother of the terrifying Manfredi (Adamo Dionisi), whose criminal interests range from money lending to drug pushing and prostitution. He begins to blackmail Malgradi over the underage prostitute's death, who in turn approaches a fellow politician for help. The politician asks Number 8 (Alessandro Borghi), a hit man and mafia don who controls Ostia, to 'have a word' with Dagger.

When Dagger is murdered, a war ensues between Manfredi and Number 8 against a backdrop of other big-time mafia interests vying for a piece of the pie surrounding a huge real estate redevelopment programme proposed for Ostia, a hitherto backwater port town. They are represented by a veteran mafia negotiator named Samurai (Claudio Amendola), who wants to defuse the war to ensure the smooth passing of the redevelopment bill in parliament. But the chain reaction has a mind of its own...

Any film about my favourite European city would inevitably end up in my watching list, but after La grande bellezza had set a new bar in depicting Rome in film, "Suburra" came as a pleasant surprise - and it is plain to see that the film had also drawn a bit of inspiration from the former. The taut thriller however paints a different picture - of a city seething with corruption and irredeemable characters - a Rome running a bit short of her heroes at present.

While a lot can be written in glowing terms about the film's impressive technical merits, I'll restrict myself to the production design that stands out, particularly Manfredi's villa filled with wholly incongruous artefacts that hint at the dubious ways in which they might have been accumulated, the owner's attempt - being of gypsy heritage, at trying to gain respectability in a society that fears and shuns him. True, these are clichés that only reinforce stereotypes, but it is also a reminder of the prejudice and racism that still exists today. The scenes in the villa, teeming with urchins from Manfredi's 'extended family', are also the only comedic moments in an otherwise brooding film.

By extracting strong performances from the main actors and keeping the tension going for the best part of the film, Sollima has crafted a gritty and memorable film along the lines of Giuseppe Tornatore's Il camorrista. It is heartening to see that Italian cinema can still produce the odd gem now and again - we only wish it was more frequent. Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon Blu-ray Link

The Nudity: Pierfrancesco Favino, Yuliia Kolomiiets, Giulia Elettra Gorietti,
and Greta Scarano
There is an extended sex scene involving characters played by Pierfrancesco Favino, Yuliia Kolomiiets, and Giulia Elettra Gorietti, interspersed with other events happening at the same time. Greta Scarano who plays Viola, the love-interest of Number 8, appears nude in a couple of scenes, first when her knickers are pulled down at a night club by Number 8, and later when she lay uncovered in bed and Number 8's associate comes barging in.



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A film review: "Ma che bella sorpresa" [2015 Italy]

Alessandro Genovesi's comedy-fantasy "Ma che bella sorpresa" [Eng. Title: What a Lovely Surprise!] is one among the many escapist fantasies frequently aimed at a mainstream audience, but for what it is worth, the film does it well.










Set in Naples, the film starts with Guido (Claudio Bisio), a forty-something school teacher, returning home to find his girlfriend Anna (Anna Ammirati) packing up her bags to leave him for a Belgian sailor. Guido shuts himself from the world and settles for quiet evenings at home in the hope of overcoming his grief. One evening, a pretty young woman half his age knocks at his door and introduces herself as Silvia (Chiara Baschetti), his newly moved-in neighbour.

An excuse for borrowing sugar for tea quickly turns into an improvised dinner-date between the two, followed by sex, and before long, Guido had fallen head-over-heels in love with Silvia. All's fine and dandy for a while between the couple, and Giada (Valentina Lodovini), a widow living next door with a penchant for eavesdropping on him, listens worriedly to the all-too-frequent sounds of passion coming from Guido's apartment. After all, she fancies Guido too.

There's however a problem in the couple's relationship, in that no one apart from Guido could actually see or hear the undoubtedly charming Silvia, quite possibly because she's just a figment (albeit a wholesome and attractive one) of Guido's imagination. Once he realises that, he wastes little time in 'breaking up' with Silvia, which Giada next door also overhears, and sensing an opening, makes her presence felt to Guido.

But Silvia wouldn't let go and keeps appearing in Guido's path whenever 'she' wished, even after becoming aware that he had now hooked up with another woman. Giada, who can't see Silvia either, nevertheless makes it clear to Guido that she wouldn't want to be in a three-way relationship even if her rival's claim over him are at best, illusory. She leaves Guido momentarily, allowing him to make that 'difficult' choice...






I doubt if the film has pretensions (or grand illusions) of being anything other than escapist entertainment - it is not really a commentary on modern relationships or the mid-life crisis, and that's a relief. There are mild comedic moments in the film however, but not as much as to bring the house down. Newcomer Chiara Baschetti doesn't disappoint, and Valentina Lodovini - the reason for me picking up the film, is rather underused. Claudio Bisio's gentle comedy doesn't succeed all the time, but it is not all doom and gloom either - some of the best scenes are those capturing life and colour from the off-the-tourist-trail streets of Naples. One wishes there were more of these though.

Amazon DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Chiara Baschetti and Valentina Lodovini
Two brief scenes feature topless nudity from the main female characters.



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A film review: "Eva Braun" [2015, Italy]

Simone Scafidi had stated that his latest feature "Eva Braun" was inspired by the Italian sex scandals of the Berlusconi years where political favours and business contracts could apparently be procured for a price.











Scafidi's not-too-subtle satire picks up a strand from Marquis de Sade's "120 Days of Sodom" to propel the story. Pier (Andrea de Onestis) is a powerful media baron but his connections extend well beyond the media industry. And importantly for him, many people are also aware that he has these connections.

Romy (Susanna Giaroli), Pier's secretary and lover, scouts, contacts, and encourages the young unemployed, struggling artists, and businessmen in financial trouble to come and meet her boss at his private villa to find a solution for their problem.

 

In exchange for Pier's favour, they'll have to perform any task that he asks them to do, no matter how outrageous or humiliating they might be. Romy assembles one such group for a week at Pier's villa, and they include Elisa (Federica Fracassi), a former teacher hoping to set-up a spa business, her wannabe pop-star son Matteo (Nathan Macchioni), his girlfriend and faltering left-wing newspaper publisher Marta (Giulia Faggioni), naive graduate Bea (Adele Raes), and Sara (Gabriella Riva) - a budding film maker seeking finance for her film.

They have to entertain and role-play games that Pier comes up with, and if they do what he asks of them, they'll get what they've come for. The twisted and often sick games that Pier devises will test the extent to which they'd debase themselves in order to please him. Pier's vicarious pleasure-seeking and sadistic urges barely conceal his insecurities in forming meaningful relationships.

By forcing the group to breach their morals, Pier is questioning society the limits to which they're willing to go in order to get what they want. To what extent is ambition a true virtue, and what depths are these people willing to descend in chasing it...

 

While the film isn't nearly as shocking as Pasolini's own adaptation of Marquis de Sade's work, there's still an air of decadence, menace, and decay that won't go unnoticed. Like Pier, everything around him is fading away. It is a thought-provoking black comedy whose scope certainly extends beyond Italian politics. It is evident from the film's title that Scafidi was also experimenting with additional themes, and mostly succeeds in Romy's characterisation. The cast give an honest, uninhibited performance, and there's nothing pretentious about their characters. Some scenes in the film are positively erotic, perhaps disturbingly. It is nevertheless Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon Instant Video

 

The Nudity: Giulia Faggioni, Adele Raes, Federica Fracassi, Nathan Macchioni, Gabriella Riva, and Susanna Giaroli
The film features scenes of frontal nudity from most of the main characters, but none of them are explicit. There is also a montage of an 'orgy' set to classical music that some may find interesting.




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A film review: "Nessuno si salva da solo" [2015, Italy]

Sergio Castellitto partners once again with his writer-wife Margaret Mazzantani to create an evocative portrait of modern marriage in his latest drama, "Nessuno si salva da solo" [Eng. Trans: You Can't Save Yourself Alone].











Estranged couple Gaetano (Ricardo Scamarcio) and Delia (Jasmine Trinca) meet up at a restaurant to decide how to share the children's summer holidays. Their 'civil' exchange of pleasantries nevertheless barely conceal mutual resentment and anger, borne through frustration and the obvious love they still feel for each other.

What starts off as a potential mud-slinging match is quickly diverted thanks to their random trips down memory lane, and the mostly good things that they shared between them over the years. We see them when they first met, at a clinic where Delia, a nutritionist, diagnoses Gaetano. She's taken aback by the gumption with which he asks her for a kiss straight after just making fun of her teeth. "Of course, you cannot", she says, but before long they find themselves making passionate love after closing time.

So begins Delia and Gaetano's stormy odyssey through love, marriage, parenthood, heartbreak, and break-up. Their twelve year journey, shown through a series of montages, is as much about their individual failings as a sign of the self-centred society that they live in, inspired by fashionable cliché and convention.

Watching their animated exchanges a few tables away are a smooching elderly couple (Roberto Vechhioni and the inimitable Ángela Molina). Later, they briefly join Delia and Gaetano for a stroll down the streets of Rome recounting their own affair, with the hope of witnessing a miracle that evening...

Miracles don't always happen, but the film's beautifully shot closing sequence will nevertheless linger in your memory long after the end credits start rolling. Make no mistake - this is as mainstream a film as you can expect, but it is made special, thanks to the organic character development and an intelligently original script. Castellitto creates his own magic in the way he brings out the explosive chemistry between his protagonists that even a cynic would find it hard not to root for the couple to get back together. The actors - both Riccardo Scamarcio and the talented and beautiful Jasmine Trinca, shine in the hands of this able director who has a keen eye for blocking and timing his scenes. The soundtrack complements the film's message and tone, and the other technical aspects are clean and professional. This sentimental but amiable film will be ideal for couples to enjoy, and is Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL] | G-Translated English Subtitles

 

The Nudity: Jasmine Trinca, Ricardo Scamarcio, and Marina Rocco
Ms. Trinca appears either nude or bottomless in at least four scenes. Some happen to be passionate lovemaking scenes alongside Ricardo Scamarcio. There's also a scene where Gaetono interrupts Delia while breastfeeding and demands a bit of 'bitti' for himself. :-) Marina Rocco, as Gaetano's lover, appears partially nude in a couple of scenes.



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A film review: "Oh, Serafina!" [1976 Italy]

If it's time to indulge in some guilty-pleasure, what better way than revisiting the seventies. The decade - in Europe, America, and almost certainly worldwide, had a pop-culture that is now officially described as 'classy', where artists began to express themselves freely without worrying too much about consequences, and when women demanded their rights returned after millennia of misogyny. These new found freedoms, perhaps, may have also allowed people to momentarily escape from and forget their daily grind, alongside the various atrocities committed around the world at the time by despots and democrats alike. But that's a different topic altogether and let's not go there.

The seventies was also 'the golden age' for nudity in cinema, when even the most conservative of societies made the odd film that dared to reveal a few more centimetres of skin above the allowed norm. However, none of them quite matched the Italians - theirs was after all a 'Roman' thing that has been carried through renaissance and everything else in between. And at a time when its film industry happened to employ actresses with some of the most exquisitely sculpted features ever to appear before camera, it was no wonder that Italian cinema was in a league of its own. Dalila Di Lazzaro (of gems like La ragazza dal pigiama giallo) was one such beauty.

The reason for the waffling about the seventies is because there's really very little to talk about veteran film maker Alberto Lattuada's mundane sex comedy "Oh, Serafina!" - he settled into this ends-meeting genre after commendable experiments in Italian neo-realism. And Dalila Di Lazzaro (alongside the redoubtable Renato Pozzetto) is co-star of the film, where she's also seen at her stunning best.








The film is about Augusto (Renato Pozzetto), a kind-hearted and ass-obsessed young industrialist, who also loves chatting with birds (real birds) in his garden. After he takes over the business from his father, he falls for the derriere of the ever-knickerless Palmira Radice (Angelica Ippolito), a woman working in his packing department. After several attempts at fondling and (implied) sex, she becomes pregnant, and he decides to make her his wife.

Troubles for Augusto start after he discovers that his wife is also a practising 'slut', who wouldn't hesitate sleeping with anyone (anyone heterosexual) to get whatever takes her fancy. She now wants to take control of Augusto's business, and after his fallout with some of the executives at the company, she colludes with staff and the local mayor to get him confined to a mental institution.

That's when he meets wild looking, designer-haired Serafina (Dalila Di Lazzaro) - daughter of a mafioso, who like himself has been consigned to asylum under false accusations. And you guessed it - Serafina's just as allergic to panties as his wife Palmira. He falls in love with her not only for this detail, but also because she's prettier, and equally in love with him!

As suggested, this film is typical escapist fare - it's like a generous helping of deep fried chicken - sickening if eaten too often, but a great little treat once in a while. Dalila may be a delicious treat to watch, but the ingredients that make up the film is certainly not for the health-conscious.

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Angelica Ippolito, Dalila Di Lazzaro, and others
The film's choice of shots and editing throws into question the authenticity of the nude scenes, and one is not sure if some of these may have used a body-double. The film's credits don't mention the complete cast, but there is plenty of female nudity, including some close-up shots, relating to Angelica Ippolito (she's also a talented actress), and the stunning Dalila Di Lazzaro. Two other uncredited actresses appear nude - as a lesbian lover, and nurse of Serafina. Dalila Di Lazzaro nevertheless, appears frontally nude in at least one scene.



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