L'albero di Antonia

I found Antonia's Line to be a wonderful expression of what is endearing and enduring in the human spirit. It was a truly lovely story, clever character development, warmly delivered. I can understand how some may not understand or enjoy this film. It flies in the face of convention, but that is its beauty. Some would fear the freedoms this film demonstrates.

Love and acceptance abound, in a timeless manor. I like the way it offered a different definition of family, one where diversity is an asset, guarded by respect.

This is one of the greatest stories to come across the screen.

This film was like taking a trip to an alternate universe and being given the gift of living a full, rich, and rewarding life there. For the most part, everyone is redeemed &/or fulfilled, although no one escapes tragedy, and some definitely have it worse than most. There was a line from the narrator, something to the effect of how "timed flowed into itself and wanted nothing more than to do so," (I am paraphrasing), and that, to me summed up the lovely slow pace of this film. The characters were real and quite sympathetic. I didn't find it to be agenda-driven like the previous commenter did. I simply thought it was a movie about Antonia, a kind and realistic woman, and those whom she loved.

I think the other viewer got it wrong when they said the movie suggested "who needs men?". This movie contains every kind of relationship combination imaginable-- the message was anybody can find love. People also have children under all sorts of circumstances in this movie. The characters are in a family like relationship to each other because in a lot of cases they don't fit in with their family or the norm. Not to mention it explores the relationship of a woman with her family--- her mother, her daughter and her granddaughter. This movie explores religion and atheism, namely the hypocrisy of religion and the emptiness and search for meaning when one doesn't have religion. This movie explores a lot of themes- love, life, death, good vs. evil, and meaning. If all a person got out of it was that it was anti-family and anti-religion and anti-male, then they have lived a pretty sheltered life and won't get "it" anyway.

What a wonderful, gorgeous, beautiful creation. Antonia's Line is a bittersweet embrace of life in all it's manifestations. It's one of those rare movies that is just as incredible as a great book. A true work of art. I've seen it four times, and would see it again.

This film is a beautiful presentation of European feminism, which, unlike its American counterpart, is about exploring and celebrating femininity rather than just kicking men in the balls. It is also a film that, judging by the other user comments, appeals to men just as strongly as to women. Literary, beautifully filmed and emotionally gripping, "Antonia's Line" is (pardon the cliche) a film unlike any other.