(2023, 111 min)
Country: Italy
Director: Ferzan Özpetek
Studio: R&C Faros Film/ Netflix
Language: English
SYNOPSIS: In the late 1970s, two young men meet by chance and fall madly in love. An unexpected event, however, separates them. For 30 years, they pursue the hope of finding each other again..
REVIEW:
The sumptuous 1970s aesthetic in the first third of the film is gorgeously shot. As the backdrop for Enea and Pietro's intense love affair in Nuovo Olimpo, this early period provides a perfect environment to represent the culture of cruising movie theaters for hookups in 1970s Italy, and it is endearingly and welcomely represented without unnecessary drama. The primary romance is also represented for what it was, both passionate and loving, and hopeful and searching. It's easy to imagine that Enea and Pietro could have had a wonderful life together.
While the film meanders a bit in the middle and final third, jumping from time frame to time frame, the inevitable resolution perhaps feels a bit anticlimactic by the time it rolls around. The character aging process also takes a bit of a hit in believability because they bounce from decade to decade probably too quickly, after a full third being devoted to the initial romance when they were young. The overall message is also perhaps a little too bittersweet, suggesting that many times in life, people end up with not who they ultimately want to be or should have been with./P>
-- Reviewed By John Sooja, Common Sense Media (http://www.commonsensemedia.org)
