The Film
Sometimes it's hard to look at Tilda Swinton as an object of desire. Maybe it's her cold stare, her previous movie roles, or her celebrity doppelganger, Conan O'Brien. However, I Am Love will change all of that.
Without a doubt, she is a wonderful actress. The movie keeps up that tradition as well. However, she is the object of desire here, and frankly, everything else in the movie seems to pale in comparison to her plotline. Swinton plays Emma, a Russian immigrant who marries into a wealthy Italian family. While her husband Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and Tancredi's son Edo (Flavio Parenti) are busy taking over the reins of the family textile business, Emma embarks on a new adventure of her own: an affair with Edo's young friend, Antonio.
I Am Love starts off extremely slow. It takes almost half of the movie to establish who's who and why we should care about them. However, when the relationship starts to flower, so does this film -- and it's worth the wait. It's very hot and heavy. It also helps that the entire film is in Italian (with subtitles, of course). That language just oozes love and so does this movie.
The Picture
I Am Love starts off with an extremely dim look around the Italian city skyline. It's sort of depressing, perhaps to mirror Emma's life. Because of the dark imagery, a lot of detail tends to be washed out. There's even one moment where Tilda Swinton almost disappears into her dining room wall, because of the washed out image and her pale skin. However, the movie's imagery seems to pick up around the same time as the plot. When Emma looks down at her dinner plate, with the veggies and the shrimp practically popping off the plate, it's almost like a whole different movie. From there, it's more of a mixed bag, with many soft shots and still fairly little detail despite the gorgeous backdrop.
The Sound
Contrary to the image, I Am Love's DTS-HD Master Audio track is very impressive. It's also in Italian, with no hope for a dub. In other words, you'll need to pay attention, people. There are subtitles, but really, the Italian track is what you'd want anyway. It features a lot of realism for the entire soundfield, mostly in the form of party chatter, trains, factory machinery, and more. However, the biggest star on the audio side is John Adams' soundtrack, which seems to build throughout the movie, only to hit its biggest and loudest notes when Emma and Antonio are together. It's not annoying, but certainly packs a unique punch that we don't normally hear in other romantic dramas.
The Extras
The I Am Love extras are a decent package. The look at life on the set is just that -- a look. Much of the 14-minute short feels like peeking through the windows. There's not a ton of narration, and some of the camera angles make it difficult to see and hear. The cast and crew interviews are extremely thorough, though. A total of 70 minutes manages to hit all of the highlights in the cast, as well as director Luca Guadagnino, and producer/stylist Silvia Venturini Fendi.
Final Thoughts
There are certainly moments in I Am Love where you will wonder who these people are, why you should care, and why they look so fuzzy. That said, this drama does get interesting and very passionate. It's also an opportunity for Tilda Swinton to shine. She is a wonderful actress, and she's fluent in Italian to boot!
Product Details
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