Viaggio sola

Summary

This friendly and interesting Italian dramatic comedy accompanies a secret auditor of 5-star hotels, staging what this profession implies affectively for its protagonist, a beautiful and elegant woman, quite sure of what she wants, but not exempt from being reconsidered facing certain situations. And she does it without underlining or falling into the obvious or morals and avoiding the temptation of the tourist postcard.

Review

Irene (Margherita Buy) is a secret auditor who tours 5-star hotels around the world verifying if she meets the standards according to that rating. Of course, to fulfill this function she registers as a common traveler without revealing her condition, and she only makes it express at the time of check-out.

A Five Star Life is a kind and interesting dramatic comedy by Maria Sole Tognazzi about what this apparently ideal job implies for Irene: being permanently on the road and the impossibility of establishing stable relationships and starting a family, this impossibility being also a choice.

Irene's closest affections are her friend Andrea (Stefano Accorsi), with whom she has an interesting relationship, and her sister Silvia (Fabrizzia Sacchi), married with two daughters, who as a woman who has started a family functions in some way as counterpart and mirror, but without falling into the obvious. The film sporadically dwells on them, especially in the role of the sister. The contrast between Irene's "real" life and the one she leads in those expensive hotels is marked only at the right point, avoiding schematics.

It is interesting to accompany Irene on her tour of the luxurious hotels and to follow her in her meticulous and highly professional check of her benefits, in a task that, as she says, has overtones of espionage. Although there are very beautiful locations and the film makes us travel with the protagonist (and this is very much enjoyed in these times of confinement), she does not fall into the temptation of the tourist route with her postcards. Irene never stops recording and, ultimately, working. In addition, the cuts and ellipsis of the story contribute to prevent any tourist gluttony.

Margherita Buy gives us an extraordinary performance because of her naturalness, which she conquers us from minute one. She endorses the sobriety with which the film raises the conflicts of Irene, a beautiful and elegant woman, quite sure of what she wants, but not exempt from rethinking herself in certain situations, without recharging the ink. This tone is not a limitation but the achievement of a film that avoids sentences and morals.

Greetings again from the darkness. Italian movie star Margherita Buy plays Irene, a luxury hotel inspector who travels the world testing picture frames for dust, bed covers for wrinkles, and hotel staff for smiles. Directed and co-written by Maria Sole Tognazzi, the film left me baffled as to why such a talented filmmaker presented such a dead-end trip for the viewer.

Within the first five minutes, we fully "get" Irene and we understand exactly where the movie is headed, provided it follows all overused story clichés (it does). See, Irene has things backwards. She lives in 5 star hotels and takes her brief respites with her nieces, her ex, and her sister. Most of us live with our families and vacation at resorts.

The luxury hotels are breathtaking to see, but mostly the movie drags while we wait for Irene's comeuppance. One segment of the story provides a spark of hope. Lesley Manville (recognizable from numerous Mike Leigh films) appears as a feminist author who lives life to the fullest and tosses out realities that strike a chord with Irene. Unfortunately, this plot line is short-lived and the most interesting character disappears as quickly as she arrived.

Irene is single, but maintains a very close relationship with her ex (a very good Stefano Accorsi). Irene has no kids, but periodically spends time with her young nieces. Irene has no close friends, but spends time with her family-centric sister (a very interesting Fabrizia Sacchi). She does all of this without actually committing to living a real life, as she quickly escapes on her next mystery guest mission.

The film begs for comparison to the superior Up in the Air, which allowed for secondary character development ... an element only teased in this film. Ms. Buy is very talented, but the script just makes this seem like a Luke warm room service meal. We already know that there is no comparison in a dream job versus a dream life.

A Five Star Life's original Italian title is Viaggio Sola, which loosely translates to "Traveling Alone". That may have been the better English title for A Five Star Life, not only because the heroine travels for 80% of the film but because it would better serve the emotion the film is trying to convey, as some of that emotion seemed to be lost in translation.

Irene (Marguerita Buy) is a beautiful woman in her 40s who is a five star hotel secret guest. So she has the best job in the world as she checks into the fanciest hotels all over Europe and meticulously grades everything she sees and experiences. It's a glamorous yet solitary life, and Irene lives it never bothered by the lack of personal relationships one would usually have at her age. Those closest to her include her ex- fiancé Andrea and her sister Silvia, a busy mother of two young girls. When Andrea (Stefano Accorsi) learns he is going to be a father from a one night stand, Irene starts to reevaluate her lonely luxurious life. Irene's sister Silvia is a busy musician, wife and mother of two. She is presented to us as the antithesis of Irene, almost what women are supposed to become if they choose the "normal" path of husband and kids. The scenes between Silvia and Irene are the most interesting in the film. Their conversations display a jealousy from both sides yet each hold a candle of superiority over the other, showing that no path is the true path to happiness.

Director Maria Sole Tognazzi paints a beautiful and stark painting of Irene's life on the go. Much like George Clooney in Up in The Air, Irene lives out of her suitcase in the most beautiful rooms in the most stunning places in the world. Back home in Italy you are shown the complete opposite- Irene's empty apartment is a physical representation of her personal life. The camera work in the many places Irene visits is spectacular. From a belly dancer in Morocco to a gorgeous mountain range in Sweden, Tognazzi has an eye for atmosphere and it serves her well in this film. The camera also loves Marguerita Buy. She has the presence of a younger actress with her elegant but casual wardrobe and her perfectly tousled curly blonde hair. Yet she wears her age in such a classic and natural way- you would not want her any other way.

The idea in A Five Star Life is that Irene is lonely and she is doubting her life choice to be single and childless. There is no great urgency from her, especially when she's having a leisurely cocktail in Paris, Stockholm, or Berlin. These places take her away from what is really bothering her. She is most lonely and desperate when she's surrounded by her loved ones. They represent what she has left behind and what she can not get back. More scenes with them would have served the narrative better and given the audience more of an emotional tie to her plight. A Five Star Life is a light and delightful travel movie, but for the emotional moral to really hit home it could have used a little less travel.

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After initially reading through the "summary" under the movie before watching, I had anticipated something different... perhaps more like a Sex and the City kind of vibe with luxury and maybe even romance. However, after seeing how lonely Irene is and how she actually has minimal (meaningful) relationships, it puts what sounds like a fun, luxurious job into perspective. I would think that she gets to travel all over and have fun, while the reality showed that she is rarely ever home and with company she enjoys. I would think that she has great times using the hotels' amenities and relaxing, while she is actually having to do so much and pay such close attention to so many things most people would find it meticulous and possibly even unbearable. I enjoyed this film because of the perspective that it showed and the message of what is actually meaningful and valuable in our lives.

Irene is in her 40's, single, and has a job that sounds like a luxury: reviewing 5 star hotels in gorgeous locations. But mind you, her job isn't just basking in all the amenities that a hotel provides, her job requires a meticulous attention to every possible detail, and all kinds of factors, from the amount of dust on the lamps to the timeliness of the staff, is thoroughly considered. Since her job requires her to be away from home so much, she is single and has estranged relationships with her family and friends. If the premise reminds you of Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, you're on the right track.

The premise of the film allows us as an audience to venture to some magnificent locations, and it's immediately recognizable how well the film utilizes every location it visits. Paris, Berlin, The Alps, Marrakesh, and a few hotels in Italy all get the deluxe treatment and are showcased beautifully here. But where it would be easy to venture into imagery reminiscent of the travel channel, this film instead focuses on the sense of isolation that each hotel brings. Sure, the views are all exquisite, but the film wonderfully captures the hollow reality that these deluxe locations encapsulate. Thematically, the film encapsulates this sense of isolated beauty that Irene embodies. As fun as it is to gasp at the luxury, the purpose is not to envy Irene by the end of the film but to simply understand the world that she inhabits.

Despite being a movie about luxury, the biggest strength of the film ends up being its simplicity. There is no grand revelation or massive plot twist here, but we do feel the many themes that are shared with us. One of these is the concept of artificial comfort. Is having someone wait on you nonstop really a key to happiness? How arbitrary is our modern day measurement of luxury and quality? While the themes are played out visually in the various locations, we see them play out emotionally in Irene's interactions when she is back at home. Her best friend and former lover is about to be a father because the mother believes it will make her happy, a tangible showing of how happiness has become a material good. Her relationship with her sister, brother-in-law and nieces fluctuates but is her only hope for having family in her life. From the concept, it would appear that the heart of the film comes from her travels, but the film very uniquely also covers the many times that she comes home and the impact she has on those who don't share her lifestyle.

A Five Star Life is a short, simple film but is fully engaging because of how well its themes are realized, both visually and emotionally. It may not have the same level of prowess that Up in the Air has, but for a smaller film, it certainly engages for the entire runtime.