Review of I Am Love (2010) by Jeffrey G — 13 Aug 2012

There are movies, there are films, and then there are FILMS. This piece tries so very hard to be a FILM that it collapses under its own weight 5/6th through. Tilda Swinton is, as always, outstanding. The production design is impeccable.

The cinematography is, by turns, absolutely brilliant and absolutely baffling. The direction is, by turns, measured and confounding. The editing draws us in at the same time that it keeps us out. If this sounds like a film rife with contradiction; that's because it IS.

This is a film that seeks to draw us in, to show us Emma as the Human Being that she is, and yet its Art House Pretense forces us to engage the film at arm's length. Mind you, I'm not some Stupid American Filmgoer looking for immediate gratification--those who know me know that I am nothing if not a critic, albeit an HONEST critic.

This, like remarkably few films, is to be admired rather than enjoyed. The craft is impeccable, but I believe the craft fails the material. Is this a film about love at arm's length? I might buy that, if Antonio and Emma's lovemaking wasn't so choreographed and shot in extreme close-up.

Is it a film about what is tradition versus what one might want? I might buy that too--if the two weren't so blatantly intertwined. And what the hell is with the absurdly melodramatic ending? Score your film much? The three stars here are for my respect of the craft only.

From a narrative and enjoyability standpoint, it's more like a half.