Well known Italian actress Valeria Golino makes an assured directorial début through her slick and stylish drama "Miele" [Eng. Title: Honey]. Co-produced by her partner and actor Riccardo Scamarcio, the film looks at the controversial topic of euthanasia and the moral dilemma it could pose.

Thirty year old Irene (Jasmine Trinca) leads a double life - to her father and friends, she's a fun-loving young woman working on a post-graduate thesis, but to her clients, she's known by the name of Miele (aka Honey) - the angel of mercy who helps to permanently alleviate suffering in the terminally ill. Through her frequent jaunts to Mexico via USA, high-flying Miele procures over-the-counter veterinary barbiturates to run her profitable enterprise, aided by leads generated through a male nurse-friend at a hospital. Professional in her dealings and following her own strict code of ethics, she will clinically supervise her clients' assisted suicide - they'll have to do the deed either on their own or with help from a family member, only after being assured of the incurable nature of their illness, and having duly signed the legal disclaimers. But Miele's motivation is nevertheless largely driven by a personal childhood trauma.

Miele will be forced to confront a moral dilemma when one of her clients, a retired architect named Carlo Grimaldi (Carlo Cecchi), turns out to be in fine health - he's just fed up with life and wants to end it all, and demands the same rights she accords to a sick person. Miele refuses to carry forward his request, but Grimaldi, already supplied with the necessary drug, refuses to return it back. In the process of trying to retrieve it from him, a platonic relationship develops between the two, which will draw Irene out of her comfort zone, posing questions about her own life and the validity of her clandestine crusade.

Despite the strong cast and crew, two factors make the film what it is - Valeria Golino and Jasmine Trinca, as director and star respectively. It would be hard to tell that this film was made by a début director without formal training in film-making. The mature script, devoid of cliché (written by Ms. Golino, Francesca Marciano, and Valia Santella, based on Mauro Covacich's novel), and the cinematic flair it brandishes wouldn't go unnoticed by the viewer. Golino certainly has the eye of an auteur, but in her first outing has also mixed in some mainstream elements that doesn't quite work, but I guess she knows this already. Jasmine Trinca keeps us transfixed to the screen almost single handedly through the subtle nuances and attitude she displays in her character Irene - a refreshingly atypical characterisation that's rare to see these days. Together, Golino and Trinca present a film full of intensity and heart, which makes it Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Jasmine Trinca
A memorable performance from the lovely Jasmine Trinca also contains three scenes in which she's featured in the nude. The first one is the longest, when her character is with a boyfriend in a caravan.



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Valeria Golino in "Il Sole Nero" [2007 Italy]

"Il Sole Nero" [Eng. Title: Black Sun] is the only film I've seen so far from much awarded Polish Director Krzysztof Zanussi, so am ill-equipped to write anything about his filmography for the moment. I'll therefore restrict myself to writing about this Italian film for its own sake.

Storyline:
Agata and Manfredi are a newly married Sicilian couple. Manfredi is younger by close to ten years, but they're both in love. And Agata is already planning for a child, but Manfredi prefers having her all to himself for some more time before becoming a family. When Manfredi is murdered, Agata's behaviour undergoes a change that worries her psychologist and authorities investigating the murder. Her love for Manfredi turns into something approaching religious faith - she sometimes has visions of him beside her and even talks to him. But she hasn't altogether taken leave of her senses either - she wants to find the murderer and ask him why he did it, before she could decide her destiny...

This is a strange film - it's an attempted neo-noire with elements of melodrama thrown in. I think it is the melodramatic elements that spoil the film, particularly the ending, which could have been a bit more imaginative. But technically this film is well made - notably in its production design. The radiant cinematography and lighting uses warm colours in keeping with the film's concept. As for the screenplay and characterisation however, it lacks depth, and some of the casting choices don't help matters. The gorgeous Valeria Golino nevertheless gives a sincere performance, and it is purely for her that I would  recommend this film. I'd like to believe that Mr. Zanussi had done better films, and I look forward to exploring more of his work.

Amazon.it DVD Link

 

Compilation: Valeria Golino and Lorenzo Balducci
Most of these scenes happen at the very beginning of the film, almost in succession. Newly married Agate and Manfredi are practically in the nude in all these post and pre-coital scenes, and I believe the director was trying to establish their intense level of passion and intimacy through these scenes in order to justify Agata's behaviour later on. They're nude even while on the balcony where they're likely to be seen from neighbouring windows, one of which unfortunately belongs to malcontent drug-addict Salvo. The couple talk about their love for each other, Agata compares him to an archangel, and she wants them to have a child, one that a twenty year old Manfredi is understandably not too keen on. Agata is played by the lovely Valeria Golino, and Manfredi by Lorenzo Balducci. In the final scene Agata is by the bath after a rendezvous with Manfredi's killer, symbolically cleansing wherever he touched her.



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Valeria Golino in "Storia d'Amore" [1986 Italy]

The title of veteran director Francesco Maselli's drama "Storia d'Amore" [Eng. Title: A Tale of Love] could mislead you into believing it to be one of those mushy romances - it ain't. There may be a bit of romancing going on, but the film's more than that.

It is first and foremost a social drama, centred around nineteen year old Bruna living in a poor neighbourhood of suburban Rome, she'd been working as a cleaning lady from the age of thirteen to support her family. Considerable screen time is allocated to portray her daily chores that start before dawn, every single day. But she's resourceful, and seemingly in command of her life. She first meets Sergio and falls in love, and lets him move in with her family, thanks to her egalitarian working class father. But when she meets Mario, Bruna falls in love and had to end the relationship with Sergio. She also moves out of home to live independently with her new lover. While it all seems tranquil on the outside, we could pick up clues of angst attributable to her drudgery, which starts taking its toll...

The film reminds me of another social drama from a famous director in the early seventies, also set among the shanties of Rome (a bit more grim however), but the name eludes me as I write this - I'll come back. But interestingly the film's treatment is atypical of Italian cinema. Almost Argentinian in style - it flows fluidly between drama and melodrama, giving us little hint as to what to expect. Shot in full frame with some interesting urban cinematography, the film retains your attention even during the most mundane of scenes, thanks to one gorgeous Valeria Golino who plays Bruna - this was only her second film as a lead character - the first, "Piccoli Fuochi" is in my wish list but I doubt it was ever released on DVD. Her performance belies her twenty years. Utterly captivating in all her scenes, Sig.ra Golino enchants and endears us from the word go. It's baffling to see her appear in some nonsensical films like Hot Shots afterwards - she must have caught the Hollywood bug. Despite this film being unique and unconventional, it is made extra special due to Valeria Golino. Needless to say, Recommended Viewing..!
Amazon.it DVD Link




Compilation: Valeria Golino
I'm so glad they finally brought this film out on DVD. This is a young, devoid of make-up, and totally natural looking, incantevole Valeria Golino. One can also see the director has paid attention to detail with her 'working class' fingernails..! :)



Scene Guide:

• Bruna getting in and out of bed - bellissima..!
• Her friendship with fellow commuter Sergio develops into love, and pretty soon he moves in to her home.
• No nudity - but interesting! Sergio introduces Bruna to his mom, whom he still considers attractive. He invites Bruna to feel her legs to find out for herself. The mother is played by Gabriella Giorgelli.
• It's break-up time - Bruna admits she couldn't help thinking about Mario - the lad who's just taken up work at the local cafe. They cry in each others arms.
• Bruna has moved in with Mario at a squat. He serves her breakfast in bed. I guess October nights in Rome could still be warm enough to allow sleeping in the nude.
• A mini montage of some other interesting scenes of Valeria Golino who plays Bruna, with the film's soundtrack.

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