A Hora Dupla

The basic plot is sound; Sonia (a Slovenian immigrant) and Guido (an ex-policeman) meet and connect at a speed dating event, they start a relationship, then an unexpected happening changes everything, including what we know (or seem to know) about the characters and their motivations. Unfortunately, the script throws in a number of unnecessary red herrings and intentional misdirections. Some of them are just distractions, some are not even explained at the end, at least one is not explainable. Not a good thing in this kind of movie.

On the positive side, direction by Giuseppe Capotondi is fluid and dynamic, acting is excellent with special mention for Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport, who is on screen most of the time. One cannot avoid feeling that if the script had been edited and unnecessary complications pared down this could have been a first rate movie. As it is, one remains unconvinced and feels manipulated at the end.

Argentine nostalgics will enjoy a photographic view of Puerto Madero, one of the touristy spots in Buenos Aires.

Yes, the film is suspenseful and competently acted. The lead is is attractive and sympathetic. But like so many thrillers the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It has more holes than Blackburn Lancashire. More important, it is psychologically implausible. So the film manages to be both suspenseful and frustrating and the viewer keeps holding on in the desperate hope that it will redeem the investment of enduring being manipulated by it by offering some sort of satisfying resolution (not to be confused with a happy or phony "Hollywood" style ending). No such luck. You leave the theater feeling used. I go to see these Italian (and French) films in the hope that the former spirit of great filmmaking will be revived. Unfortunately, I haven't seen even a good, let alone great, Italian film since the best days of Roberto Benigni.

All I can say about this film is that it ultimately made no sense to me whatsoever. Perhaps I'm just not smart enough for it, so go ahead and watch it and judge for yourself. If, at the end, you feel like you've completely wasted your time, then we're in the same boat, and I apologize for not having prevented you from watching it.

Kseniya Rappoport stars in "The Double Hour" (La Doppia Ora), a 2009 film.

Very reminiscent of David Lynch, the story concerns ex-cop Guido (Filippo Timi), who seems to be a chronic speed-dater. On this particular night, he meets someone he feels he can actually date, Sonia (Rappaport), who works as a hotel chambermaid. The relationship develops. However, as we slowly learn more and more about Sonia, she isn't all that she seems.

The plot isn't all that it seems, either, and as the film goes on, we see both dream and reality emerge.

Like Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Cache, The Double Hour is a fascinating film, where things are not always as they seem, and what goes on underneath is far more interesting. Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, if you're a fan of Lynch or Michael Heneke, you will enjoy this film.

This taut, splendidly acted and directed thriller knows how to play its audience. You can't help but want Sonia, a chambermaid whose life exhibits some bad karma, to pick lost-soul Guido out of the crowd at speed dating. Finally, something positive seems to go their way. But if so, why am I jumping at the least provocation, and what is making me feel so uneasy? Of course, it's a good kind of uneasy.

It's first-rate suspense. Every little detail seems to count, coming back later in the form of an I- get-it-now moment.

I don't know who their competitors were, but Filippo Timi and Kseniya Rappoport earned their best acting awards at the Venice Film Festival, as did the director Giuseppe Capotondi. Did they miss the deadline for submission into other film competitions? Did they forget to sign the forms? I can't understand why it didn't enter and win more accolades. It could have been an Oscar contender for foreign language film, it is that good.