I am Love is a family drama that tries so hard to hide the use of a clichéd formula that it ends up becoming a movie with too much on its hands to work with. It doesn't get the viewer involved enough to care or come away with anything of value. I am Love works in small pieces, but the big picture seems weak.
For Tilda Swinton, I am Love will surely be a proud moment. Her ability to act in Italian and Russian alike is impressive, but unfortunately it feels under used. There is not enough character for her to work with I felt, and like the vast majority of the cast, she doesn't get enough to say. I am Love when you stop to think about it, feels surprisingly shy in dialogue. Too many supporting characters exist simply to take up screen space.
Swinton Plays Emma, a Russian-born woman who has married into a wealthy Itallian family; the Recchis. Her husband has just inherited the family textile company, to be shared in responsibility with their Edo. Edo friend is an exceptional cook who when invited to cater the Ricchi's latest party captures the attention of Emma. soon he wins her heart, and they have an affair. Meanwhile the Recchi business has agreed to a merger in the interests of a more economically prosperous future, Edo, disapproves because he feels that the sentimental value of the company is being left behind. Where is this gonna lead?
The most effective quality of I am Love is its photography. This is a well shot picture, in which the camera ranges from being extremely intimate to being loose and distant. For its mise-en scene, I Am Love relies on the existing beauty of the world rather than the recreated beauty. Art direction feels quite minimal in I am Love. The Recchi family has a big beautiful mansion but it is largely under dressed, and quite plain. By contrast everything outdoors is captured in exquistisite beauty: public sculpture, architecture, the snow, the rain, the country side, the flowers. The movie also knows how to photograph fancy dishes in a way that makes it look just as delicious as well presented. What needs a tune up though (liteally) is the score. It sounds overly assertive and draws too much attention to itself, trying to dramatize moments that do not need musical dramatization. It would be like putting a baby to sleep with Metallica.
I am Love, might have made a good movie had it been though through a bit better. There are times when it comes close to making you care, but it doesn't quite make it. What we get is not quite enriching enough to pass for anything more than a well dressed soap opera; watchable, but not great
For Tilda Swinton, I am Love will surely be a proud moment. Her ability to act in Italian and Russian alike is impressive, but unfortunately it feels under used. There is not enough character for her to work with I felt, and like the vast majority of the cast, she doesn't get enough to say. I am Love when you stop to think about it, feels surprisingly shy in dialogue. Too many supporting characters exist simply to take up screen space.
Swinton Plays Emma, a Russian-born woman who has married into a wealthy Itallian family; the Recchis. Her husband has just inherited the family textile company, to be shared in responsibility with their Edo. Edo friend is an exceptional cook who when invited to cater the Ricchi's latest party captures the attention of Emma. soon he wins her heart, and they have an affair. Meanwhile the Recchi business has agreed to a merger in the interests of a more economically prosperous future, Edo, disapproves because he feels that the sentimental value of the company is being left behind. Where is this gonna lead?
The most effective quality of I am Love is its photography. This is a well shot picture, in which the camera ranges from being extremely intimate to being loose and distant. For its mise-en scene, I Am Love relies on the existing beauty of the world rather than the recreated beauty. Art direction feels quite minimal in I am Love. The Recchi family has a big beautiful mansion but it is largely under dressed, and quite plain. By contrast everything outdoors is captured in exquistisite beauty: public sculpture, architecture, the snow, the rain, the country side, the flowers. The movie also knows how to photograph fancy dishes in a way that makes it look just as delicious as well presented. What needs a tune up though (liteally) is the score. It sounds overly assertive and draws too much attention to itself, trying to dramatize moments that do not need musical dramatization. It would be like putting a baby to sleep with Metallica.
I am Love, might have made a good movie had it been though through a bit better. There are times when it comes close to making you care, but it doesn't quite make it. What we get is not quite enriching enough to pass for anything more than a well dressed soap opera; watchable, but not great