Allacciate le cinture

It's truly a pretty decent little film.. with some very good performances. The two lead actors are both exceptionally gorgeous, and to the movie's credit, the film does not so much play on this fact, and you never feel their appearance gets in the way of the story. She is such an attractive woman (do a search on bing.com.. look at her amazing still images), for sure she's gotta be a model or actress. In addition to her natural beauty, she shows in this production she's got real acting talent.. her David di Donatello Best Actress nomination for this film was no fluke. There's no doubt the film would have benefited from being 15-20 minutes shorter. Lots of scenes were dragged out just a bit too long.. leaving viewers really wanting out of the moment. This can be said of lots of movies, the little word 'cut' being at times very hard to implement. And it's really unfortunate stateside audiences rarely get to viewing this style of films.. for they would have a positive impact and expand on the limited choices now offered by mainstream Hollywood.

one of exercises of exploration of large territories of life. love, choices, sickness, Meridional family, marriage, perspective of death, friendship. like many films with same intentions, it is only a kind of essay. different by others films, it has a solid pillar who gives to it few nuances of seduction - the performance of Paola Minaccioni. far to be disappointed , it has the only sin to use same message, same tools, same lesson in same manner of a lot of others films about contemporary crisis. sure, the humor, the small crumbs of poetry are nice. but, in few cases, forced. or fakes. a film who propose questions. who gives perspectives. but who remains a beautiful sketch.

Directing: 2 /Acting: 5 /Story: 2 /Production values: 3 /Suspence - Thriller level: 0 /Action: 0 /Mystery - unknown: 0 /Romance level: 3 /Comedy elements: 2

In the middle of the film, they ask Elena how she feels and she says "confused". It is the director, who is confused indeed. What was the point of the film? Opposites attract? There was no chemistry between the lead characters, even when they were nude. Acting was terrible except for Elena, who tries to shoulder the entire film. Unfortunately, the film does not work as a drama and neither as a comedy. I lose respect for films, in which directors try to talk through the characters. Actually, there is nothing in this film that will require the audience to fasten their seat-belts.

One may like or not Ozpetek's movies, but what is undeniable is that peculiar delicate touch which makes his movies like paintings only sketched and never accomplished, because accomplishment is not what really matters. This does mean his movies are ethereal or lack sense or reality: on the contrary, they are imbued with reality, often with dramatic reality, and "Allacciate le cinture" is a fine example, but what remains is not the sense of drama, but the delicacy of sentiments. In this picture you will not find an original plot, but I have never seen the theme of cancer treated with such strong sense of reality and at the same time with such delicacy and even fun, focusing on a choral world of fear, love, rage, tenderness, amusement… Shooting is always very carefully devised as to close up to the characters' eyes, without the need of too many words, and everything is wrapped around a bright light, enveloping characters and situations in a comforting hug. The cast is also wisely chosen, I was positively surprised by Kasia Smutniak, who leaves the mark, beyond her disarming beauty. And then there's a whole world of recurring characters in his movies, but who touches for intensity and bravura is Paola Minaccioni, who made me laugh and cry so much… I have read negative reviews concerning a melodramatic attitude of the picture: I think melodrama is exactly what Ozpetek avoids, and successfully.