Review of I Am Love (2010) by Daniel A — 30 Nov 2010

Slow to start, alarmingly sensual in the middle, and melodramatic to finish. I Am Love is a mixed bag, but I think that's why I liked it.

It's always impressive when an actor learns another language for a role, and in I Am Love Tilda Swinton takes on both Italian and Russian. Like Kristen Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long and the great Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, Swinton is just as compelling in a tongue other than her native English. Her performance is beautifully refined, encapsulating emotions in a way that many of her peers can only dream of. And not that it really matters but she's never looked so beautiful either.

However while the brilliance of her performance is undeniable, the film itself has more to offer than simply the showcasing of a fine actress. In I Am Love, director Luca Guadagnino has created the most sensual film of the year. While the first act accelerates slowly, feeding only snippets of plot to the viewer who is left to fill in many of the gaps themselves, once the film kicks into gear around the half hour mark, the sexual tension comes to the fore with a furor. Swinton and costar Edoardo Gabbriellini pitch it perfectly amidst Guadagnino's beautifully shot Italian backdrop, which switches seamlessly from the stifling home of the rich family to the open beauty of stunning countryside. All the while the sexual atmosphere becomes more and more palpable thanks to the delectable food on show mingling with a number of love scenes that never become gratuitous. Honestly I don't think canapés ever looked so sexy!

By the third act things take a more dramatic turn, and this is where the cries of melodrama from certain critics are somewhat justified. Compared to the subtleties of what has come before, the final scenes are etched with last-minute twists and a master class in shocked facial expressions from the cast. However the story remains compelling and the closing moments are quite spectacular.

Thus I Am Love succeeds in most areas. While some might not have the patience to make it through the lengthy opening scenes, those that do will be rewarded with a magnificently shot family drama, that holds some of the most sexually charged scenes of the year.