I Am Love (2010)

Directed By: Luca Guadagnino

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, & Pippo Delbono

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 8 / 10

Tilda Swinton is one of my favorite actresses ever, and I Am Love is a prime example of why I adore her so. Born in London and having such a lovely British accent, Swinton plays, in this film, a Russian woman who speaks Italian fluently. You would never know, if you didn't already, that her Russian accent and command of the Italian language were not natural, because she engrains them flawlessly into her performance. Swinton is one of the few fearless actresses still working. And unlike some of those fearless actresses, Swinton actually has the talent to sustain her courage. She can really do anything she sets her mind to, and there has never been as wonderful proof of this as her tour de force performance in I Am Love. She is the heart and soul of this film, a touching and riveting portrayal of a family crumbling down around itself. Told without the expected cliches or stereotypes, it is a wildly original and compelling drama that captures the essence of what it means to be a family.

Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton) is a Russian immigrant to Italy, leaving her home country to marry the extremely wealthy and controlling Tancredi (Pippo Delbono). Since then, she has essentially buried all of her personal aspirations, as well as the culture of her home, to raise Tancredi's perfect family and to give him the life he wanted. All the while, she feels like an outcast, a fact that is realized when her son, Edoardo (Flavio Parenti), butts heads with his father over the future of the family business, and when her only daughter, Betta (Alba Rohrwacher), comes out as a lesbian. She can empathize with them, because both feel like exiles from their father's perfect lifestyle. Out of the blue, she develops a streamy relationship with Edoardo's new business partner, the chef Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini). Their relationship is raw, steamy, and passionate, feelings she has never experienced with her husband. But, as Emma finds the strength to break free from the binds that have held her down for so long, her decisions have dire, tragic consequences for her family and children.

In many ways, we can all relate to Emma's plight. We have all felt excluded from at least one situation or group in our lifetimes. For some, the relation is deeper; they too know what it feels like to never feel like a part of their own family. It is clear that Emma feels helpless, probably as though she is drowning in her own life. As she plans and hosts the multiple Recchi family parties and runs endless meaningless errands, we can see her complacency slowly breaking. Most of us would never dare to choose the same paths as she does, but it is fascinating to watch her make her journey. This isn't a film about a woman achieving true happiness by breaking free from the binds of her past. No, this is about a woman facing the gritty consequences of doing so. There is no faulty happy ending here; rather, it ends with a simple question for our main character, "Was it worth it?" She has achieved what she wanted to achieve, but at what cost? And was that cost worth her ultimate achievement? In a multitude of ways, it is a bittersweet ending, simultaneously delightful and tragic.

There is a great beauty and complexity in this film's final message. And, though the film's pacing lags and some of the events are too melodramatic for their own good, I Am Love still delivers that message with grace and dignity. Aesthetically, this is probably the most gorgeous film of 2010. Lush and lavish, the film exists within a world that's beauty serves as a thinly-veiled facade for the ugliness and sadness that exists just underneath. Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux brings such exquisite beauty from the settings, the actors, and most noticeably, the food they eat. I was so consumed in the images being shown that, when the film switches from using subtitles to having English dialog, I didn't even notice. It is so rare to see a film made with this much precision and attention to detail, and I welcomed I Am Love's dependence on its visuals to help tell its story. Though it has been overshadowed, I Am Love is a wonderful film, as emotionally robust as it is visually powerful. Plus, Tilda Swinton gives one of the year's best performances, as well as one of the best performances of her career. You just can't miss her splendid showcase in this movie.