carlo61

I went to see this film last night at the Melbourne International Film Festival. I must admit that the only reason I went was that the film is set in the city I was born and where I lived for the first two decades of my life. The story of Mary and Enzo was interesting and could have been very poignant. However, it was engulfed by a messy and incoherent collection of images from a bygone era which made no sense at all and added nothing to the story. It felt like a film student project where the student had been given full access to old footage and went for broke. It was obvious that the film attempted to recreate the poetic atmosphere of a Terence Davies production. In Davies's films all the component work harmoniously together. In this case, all the components fell apart and crushed loudly against the rocky beaches of the Genoese coastline. And sadly, the power of the story of Many and Enzo was weakened by the effort.

This is not a "good" film and is definitely not a "feel-good" film either. The acting is often below average (sometimes to hilarious effects) and it is clear that it was made on a minute budget. It is however a incredibly brave and courageous film. The subject matter and its geographical/social context make it so. The poor quality of the production becomes itself a clear indication of the oppression and the violence experienced by some of the characters. It is clear that the film attempts to cover too many issues, however it is difficult to deny that in the mixture of soap and drama sprinkled with a bit of sex, all the issues are fascinating and demands keen attention.

I was very lucky to see this film as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2005 only a few days ago. I must admit that I am very partial to movies that focus on human relations and especially the ones which concentrate on the tragic side of life. I also love the majority of Scandinavian cinematic offerings, there is often a particular deep quality in the way the story unfolds and the characters are drawn. Character building in this film is extraordinary in its details and its depth. This is despite the fact that we do encounter quite a number of characters all with very particular personal situations and locations within their community. The audience at the end of the screening was very silent and pensive. I am still playing some of those scenes in my mind and I am still amazed at their power and meaningfulness.