La fenêtre d'en face

"You must demand to live in a better world... Don't be content to merely survive."

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The warm colors, lovely performances, textured messages and thoughtful ideas that are layered throughout Ferzan Ozpetek's 'Facing Windows' will make you cherish cinema just a little bit more than you already do. It's a romantic treasure about unrequited love, familial responsibility, sexual longing and following the path in life that makes you happiest. The notion that you can really love someone else only when you've learned to love yourself may be a familiar one, but it is nice to be reminded every now and then. 'Facing Windows' is about all those things and the realization that the memories of those who truly touch our hearts can inspire us to live better lives.

Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and her husband Filippo (Filippo Nigro) have settled into life. They both have jobs that make them unhappy. She works as an accountant. He works the graveyard shift because he is too weak to ask his boss for a daytime slot. They argue about money, sex, time and work... There is a subtle sense that this is a marriage whose love is dwindling fast. Perhaps they are only going through the motions for the sake of their kids.

One morning, the two of them are walking home and cross paths with an elderly man (Massimo Girotti). He is utterly disoriented and has lost his memory. And despite Giovanna's protests, Filippo brings him back to their home for the night so that he can take him to the police the next morning in the hopes of unraveling the mystery. As complications ensue, that one night stretches to a few days. The old man experiences strange episodes, flashbacks of sorts, that reveal clues to his mysterious past. His actions lead to a meeting between Giovanna and Lorenzo (Raoul Bova). Lorenzo lives across the street from Giovanna and their apartment windows face each other. The sexual tension between the two is quite palpable as they have both been secretly watching and lusting after each other from their dimly lit windows.

Giovanna and Lorenzo's instant friendship swiftly moves to flirtation and then to a passionate kiss. However, Lorenzo's job is transferring him to another city very soon and Giovanna is put in an awkward spot having to make a very quick decision. Her heart tells her she should act on her feelings. Her mind tells her to be responsible. Nevertheless, the two of them puzzle over the mystery of the old man as they try to come to terms with their feelings for one another.

The beauty of this film is the way in which it balances many layers of story and character. Everyone in the film has something interesting happening in their lives and it all seems to revolve around the influence of the old man. These days, we are lucky if films give us one thing to think about, let alone many things. 'Facing Windows' (aka La Finestra di Fronte) is delightfully stimulating for both mind and heart.

I have to point out the performances in this film. 'Facing Windows' swept the David di Donatello Awards (Italian Oscars) for good reason. The film is brilliant but the performances are spectacular. Giovanna Mezzogiorno has vaulted straight to the top of my list of favorite actresses with her role here and in 2002's lovely film 'The Last Kiss' (L'Ultimo Bacio). She is the most dramatic actress I think I have ever seen, able to combine genuine fragility with a toughness and intensity that will give you goose-bumps. She has the most cinematically beautiful face I think I've seen and a talent that is remarkably rare. In just two films, she has earned my trust entirely... I will be first in line to see anything else she does.

Massimo Girotti is equally powerful as the mysterious old man. He is able to convey every necessary emotion in this tricky role. This was to be Girotti's final role before passing in 2003. It is a performance you won't soon forget.

Raoul Bova and Filippo Nigro are great in the secondary roles and round out one of the best ensemble casts of 2004.

'Facing Windows' is one of those aesthetically marvelous Italian films that sounds as great as it looks. It is fun and surprising, unpredictable and touching. Giovanna Mezzogiorno is a special actress who is fast becoming one of Europe's biggest stars. You will be seeing a lot more from her in the next two decades. I cannot recommend a film much more than this one.

I highly recommend you seek this film out in theatres because it can take forever for these foreign gems to hit DVD (Sometimes up to 2 years). 'Facing Windows' will vie for a slot in my year end top ten list and deserves your time and money. Make an effort to find this great Italian film!

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TC Candler - Critical Mass Movies - www.tccandler.com

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What a rich and satisfying film this is! The complexity of lives interweaving, with a transformative impact is a rare experience in this medium.

Life is full of chance meetings...often ignored...but in this film it is pivotal. A young couple, having serious relational problems, come upon a dazed old man on the street. His entrance in their lives, his own dramatic life and the wife's (Giovanna's) ultimate connection to him serves as a link to her profound choices...First, to risk a sexual encounter with the handsome neighbor she's watched through her facing windows and second, to recognize that her discontent has been with herself, more than her loving husband. The complexity of the old man's life...his survival of a concentration camp...giving up a beloved lover to save others...his success as a famous pastry chef...all contribute in a tangential way to Giovanna's transformation. The final scene is enormously moving and meaningful.

Don't miss this gem...if humanism, great performances and cinematic richness are important to you.

Having seen all of Ferzan Ozpetek's films, I looked forward seeing this new picture, which just started a commercial run locally. Without a doubt, this is even more complex than the ones before. Mr. Ozpetek is a director that shows great talent. He has worked in the screen play as well.

This is a film that presents two stories that are completely different from one another. The beginning of the movie takes us back to 1943 Rome, at the height of the war. We witness what happens in the opening sequence without any knowledge of how will it play in the total outcome of the picture.

The film then changes to present day Rome. We see Giovanna and Filippo, who are struggling to make ends meet. They meet one day a mysterious old man who is trying to give them money. They end up bringing him home since the local police can't do anything. This man, Simone, has the clue to the puzzle of the first part of the film, but that will come at the end.

Giovanna's marriage to Filippo is in danger of failure. Giovanna suddenly discovers a life in the apartment across the street. Lorenzo, who lives alone, turns out has been spying on Giovanna as well. They get to meet, but common sense prevails and their possible relationship never amounts to anything.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno is one of Italy's leading actresses. Not only is she attractive, but she can act, as well. Miss Mezzogiorno has one of the most expressive and beautiful eyes we have seen in a long time. Not only that, but she expresses so much by looking directly into the camera.

Massimo Girotti, another great figure in the Italian movies is the mysterious Simone, who in reality is Davide, a master dessert chef who owned one of Rome's most prestigious pastry shop. Mr. Girotti's magnificent presence in the film makes the most with his pivotal role.

The film is deeply satisfying. Another great film by Ferzan Ozpetek.

Sadly, this type of film is all too rare.

Without the relying on clichéd plot-devices, it achieves a striking level of dramatic intensity through character and relationship development. You care what happens to them as if you knew them personally and thats why it works.

As soon as the credits began to roll, I immediately wanted to watch the film all over again. It left me with so many questions and thoughts, about my own life- a cinematic version of Coelho's Alchemist?

For me, the recurring theme in the film, is choices- life choices- forks in the road- and the consequences our decisions yield.

1. Davide stalling on the cobbled stoned streets- torn between his lover and his town. 2. Giovanna and Filippo on the bridge, arguing whether they should get involved with the strange old man. 3. Giovanna and the two men in her life. 4. Giovanna at window in Lorenzos house having a crisis of conscience. 5. Lorenzo taking up the work opportunity, instead of staying in Rome. 6. Giovanna changing careers. 7. Giovanna running down the steps at the end- mirroring the opening scene of the film, she becomes Davide's character in that she makes the ultimate sacrifice for her family. Although we are never told it directly, we realize afterwards that Davide has died- In the way that Giovanna talks about him; saying she misses him now he's gone. "Does everyone that leaves you, leave something of themselves behind". Giovanna says that she hears him in HER voice, and feels him in her gestures. The symmetry of this film is what makes it so beautiful and complete.

The message? Follow your passion, follow your heart and you will have no regrets Something that really made me think was the line Davide said to Giovanna- " You have turned your passion into a hobby. You should never do that with a talent" So finally Giovanna finds her true love- her liberation from a life she no longer loves.

Another element that adds to the realism is the dialogue- From the electrifying opening argument between the two lovers, to the smart quips of the brainy daughter, every character is given a chance to shine. Such a relief from the typical Hollywood crap we are forced to endure.

Everything about this films, seems to linger long after you leave the cinema. The visual beauty, the score, Giovanna's beautiful eyes, the scenery- a true delight of a film that I love recommending to friends.

An Italian movie that starts as a pleasant but otherwise unremarkable tale of a nine year old marriage and an old man wandering the streets with no memory and a pocketful of money. We are drawn in by the rather lovable (if all too human and imperfect) characters until, half way through, the film explodes with moments of real beauty, passion and tenderness. The cinematography deftly weaves flashbacks and fleeting glances from within the minds of the main characters, their memories merging seamlessly for a few moments with the real life around them. The script contains gems that you want to remember.

Italian star Giovanna Mezzogiorno is superb as the wife who seems to be locked in a constant struggle with her husband and attracted to the man in the apartment facing theirs. But Facing Window proves to be far more than melodrama triangle: echoes of the Nazi holocaust and the inner strength to realize one's true feelings, as well as one's true calling ... 'it isn't enough to dream about a better life, you must demand it.' For those who like something more substantial to their cinema than popcorn and nachos, Facing Window fits the bill with effortless grace.