I Am Love

‘I Am Love’ not heavy on plot

MARISA BERENSON and Alba Rohrwackher in “I Am Love.”

After watching the Italian film “I Am Love,” my reaction was, what the heck was this about?
It deals with a rich family, made wealthy because it owns textile industries.
The film seemingly drops into a point in the lives of these characters. We go along for the narrative. Meet the auxiliary characters. Watch them interact. Some die. Some have sex.
Then it’s over.
Tilda Swinton is from Russia and her character marries into a family of rich aristocrats.
She seems a bit uncomfortable helping supervise the birthday party for the family patriarch and keen business head, Edoardo, played by Gabriele Ferzetti.
Director Luca Guadagnino has a nice way of setting up scenes, building suspense through cutaway shots and closeups and swelling music.
We see early on what an opulent family this is. The color and pageantry could belong to an era 100 years ago, rather than the start of the new millennium.
The Swinton character feels strangely apart from the rest of the family, as if she doesn’t totally belong and will never belong.
The old man makes a grand announcement during his birthday dinner. He is retiring, which we learn is a good thing because he will soon be dead.
He flatters his son, played by Pippo Delbono, stating he is everything a father could hope for.
But the old man tosses in a ringer, he announces his son will operate the business only with the assistance of his grandson, played by Flavio Parenti.
As stated, this could have been a turn of the 19-century tale rather than 20th, with the grand dinners and fancy clothing and men taking command.
This is a family well established and cloaked in tradition.
Swinton goes to visit her daughter in another community and spots the chief who handled the party, played by Edoardo Gabbrellini. She follows him and — you guessed it — has sex with him.
Later she finds out her daughter, played by Alba Rohrwacher, is a lesbian. She really doesn’t react as a mother, but comments on how pretty the woman is.
And so it goes. Little revelations. Different well-staged scenes. But nothing I would call an interesting or compelling plot.
Little conflict until late in the film when the son unfortunately slips and falls.
It’s not actually a drawing-room drama. It’s a film in search of meaning and a beefed-up storyline.
Frankly, I was underwhelmed by “I Am Love.” It didn’t love it.

I AM LOVE • Directed and written by Luca Guadagnino • Runtime: 120 minutes • Rated R for sexuality and nudity • 1 star out of 5