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Reviews
Vincere (2009)
powerfully constructed
Ida Dalser was Mussolini's first wife. She had a son (also Benito) by him. This film is her story: how she was abandoned by Mussolini and later interned in a Mad House and treated as a paranoiac. She was physically restrained and denied access to her son who was in the custody of his aunt and uncle. Is she the victim of a conspiracy or a victim of her own delusions? The film is powerfully constructed and the result is effective and compelling. While the dialogue is minimal, authentic newsreel and music carry the narrative through. The acting is convincing: Ida provokes our frustration, anger and sympathy. She is a strong character yet unable to release herself from the hold Mussolini has on her past. At times lucid, otherwise delusional. Sometimes absurdly stubborn, yet immensely fragile and desperate.
Unfortunately the actor playing Mussolini did not physically resemble the Mussolini in the newsreel, which seemed confusing at times but the scenes where Mussolini's son impersonates his father in front of a group of students and then later in the asylum were brilliant.
Dieta mediterránea (2009)
theatrical farce, but not cinema
Might have enjoyed this more on the stage as some kind of a farce but as a rom-com (or whatever it was supposed to be) it didn't work for me. Very jerky scenario which seems only to benefit the Keira Knightly lookalike without actually succeeding in making her a likable character. In fact all the characters were shallow and inconsistent and certain scenes intended to titillate the spectator appeared ridiculous rather than farcical (eg when one of her children walks into the bedroom).
The references to cooking and food added nothing to the storyline, when in fact they could have held the whole thing together.
On the other hand, the English subtitles were quite frankly hysterical (I think I laughed more at the subtitle boobies than I did at anything in the script). Grammatical errors, typos and spelling mistakes in every line.