La corrispondenza

What do you need in order to create a movie in the inverted order from the usual story line: the one that starts with the line "From death do us part" and ends with the line "They lived happily ever after"?

The answer is simple: You need a mastermind like Giuseppe Tornatore. A mind capable of inventing such interesting story, told through inspirational dialogues and intriguing plot.

The final product entitled "The Correspondence" is equally impressive as an independent piece of art, as well as a juxtaposing part of Tornatore's previous movie "The Best Offer". The beauty of comparing his recent films (written in English) lies in the opportunity to grasp the big picture. Both movies revolve around couples and involve prototypical males (rational yet highly emotional, thus men in touch with their feminine side) and prototypical females (fragile yet strong, thus women in touch with their masculine side). Both have impressive cast for the role of the men (Jeremy Irons / Geoffrey Rush) and expressive cast for the role of the women (Olga Kurylenko /Sylvia Hoeks). "The Best Offer" deals with the mysterious appearance of the female character, while "The Correspondence" seals the deal with the mysterious disappearance of the male character. The first speaks about losing oneself when finding the significant other, while the second movie speaks about finding oneself while losing the significant other.

Indeed, the theme of loss is ever-present in each frame and pixel of "The Correspondence". Someone might wonder if something so void and devoid of any words, something as ineffable as loss could ever be explained through words? It can and it ought to be, since the communication is the purest form of connection between a man and a woman, a marriage of their ideas, an ideal in itself, an open door to the deepest human connection. As long as we perceive the words spoken outside of our heads (in the books, songs or mouths of other people) as coded messages from the loved one, and as long we use all words existing inside of our heads as messages for our loved one, there will be connection. As such, the words are symbol of focus, of attention, and constant (re)invention of the significant other. Their presence signifies life, their absence – death (even in a symbolic manner) of the other.

Within this movie, the characters use words to reach to one another, somewhere, anywhere. With this movie the director uses words, to hopefully reach toward each one of us, everywhere. With this review, I use words, maybe also to reach to someone, somewhere, out there…

Biljana Gjoneska www.evermind.me

Unless you meet both of the following criteria: sex: W age: +60

do not watch it!

Years and years ago, Pier Paolo Pasolini would have solved this 116 minutes film with one sentence: "Death does not mean a lack of communication; it is the impossibility of being understood."

And while this concept (twisted, distorted, disfigured) still remains interesting enough, Tornatore's prolix (plain redundant right there in the middle) writing swings between borderline creepy and full-on cheesy.

Among the tear-jerking treacle, his pseudo-philosophical, re-adjusted to the contingency, take on astronomy -- dead stars and all -- is accurate and poetic enough, and really the only element (almost) giving the movie an appearance of tightness, thickness and consistency in its back and forth, back and forth rhythm.

A deep love relationship develops itself between Ed Phoerum, a professor and astronomer and Amy Ryan, a young student and movie actress, despite the fact that not only she is much younger than him but also they are apart and at some distance from each other, seldom meeting physically. But he sends her videos with passionate messages. He suffers a sudden death (he was very ill) which does not impede their relationship going ahead like if he was still alive because he had a plan consisting of having written many messages to her and made some videos that without her knowledge he has given to people he knew with the charge of giving them to her at periodic dates coinciding with some important events of her life . This combines her anguish with the pleasure she has on reading his messages (in letter form) and watching his videos and led her to look for those people to get information and take the letters and videos. A quite strange story but well told, directed, acted and filmed.

Writer/Director Giuseppe Tornatore ('Cinema Paradiso', 'The Legend of 1900', 'The Best Offer', 'Everybody's Fine') has created a love song to Italy, science, astronomy, writing as an art form, communication and that fragile love between an older professor and a student. In other's hands this combination may come saccharine and a silly treatise on life and whether we die or become part of the universe spirit. Tornatore makes it a sensitive and delicate poem of a film.

Amy Ryan (Olga Kurylenko), a young student and stunt woman for films and Ed Phoerum (Jeremy Irons), a highly respected astrophysicist have an affair for 6 years, primarily an affair over distance. When Ed goes out of town, both of them keep in touch by text and video chats. All seems well and carries a light touch of humor as well as longing until Amy discovers Ed died 2 days back due to cancer. But still she receives messages and gifts under the name of Ed. Amy meets Ed's family (Shauna Macdonald, Oscar Sanders) and gradually assimilates with them. She ceases to feel lonely with the frequent input of videos she receives at strange intervals but remains surprised about the mysterious messages and gifts. How Amy copes with her life and how is Ed texting and sending gifts even after his death forms is brought to a satisfying if over long conclusion to the film. Ed suggests that she will find another man and very briefly in the end Amy encounters an old acquaintance Jason (Simon Anthon Johns), suggesting that Ed's last prediction will be fulfilled.

Tornatore's writing includes some wonderful information about the stars and the theories of their life span as well as other Astronomical insights and mixes these with love poems that are radiant as delivered by both Irons and Kurylenko. Though the film opens with a passionate love scene we both hear in darkness and eventually see as the film progresses, the remainder of the film is a conversation via cell phone and video and for those of us who have problems with the obsession with those forms of interaction in today's society, Tornatore manages to soften the mechanical emptiness of their use.

Ennio Morricone provides the musical score and Fabio Zamarion the exquisite photography of Italy, Scotland, and the UK. The film is in need of some editing but the spirit is there and Tornatore's little gem restores our faith that fine films are still being made.