Un coeur ailleurs

As do other movies of Pupi Avati, Il cuore altrove (the heart elsewhere) deals with people searching for home – home meaning here not only a certain place on the geographical map but also in society and in the emotional landscape within.

A not so young man is sent from Rome to Bolognia with a clearly defined task: To find a woman who will produce an heir. He dutifully sets about to fulfill this task and also gets started in his job as a teacher of Latin and ancient Greek in a high school. He clearly is a misfit – and what's worse: a cultured one - who lives in a world of his own. As Avati explains in an interview on the DVD: He is one of those guys who always sing either too loud or too low – he will never make it into a choir (meaning any choir – this might serve as an explanation for the ending an other reviewer described as a head-scratcher).

At a dance for the blind in a monastery the not so young man meets a young, beautiful and glamorous woman – played convincingly by a Julia Roberts clone. He immediately falls in love with her and she, a temperamental and fickle soul, uses him in turn in an attempt to take revenge at the fiancé who jilted her after she lost her eyesight. The man is hell bent on marrying the woman who, as a dentist's daughter firmly integrated into Bologna's high society, seems to stand socially above him, disregarding all the sensible and well intentioned attempts to deter him. His is an absolutely quixotic enterprise that is bound to fail.

This short synopsis does not illustrate enough the kind hearted approach the director takes towards all the concerned characters and the mellow, consoling atmosphere created by the excellent cinematography and the backdating of the story to the first half of the 20th century. The story has a tragic ending but does not leave the main character without hope (but neither with a home). Very touching is the scene between him and his pupils as he tells them that he cannot stay on in Bologna (because of his delusion). Stay on, we will take care of you, they plead, and it really feels like it is meant that they will adopt him collectively. It struck me as being a typical reaction of young people who, with the innocence of their youth, think they can really improve the world and make a difference.

Once again in this movie Avati proves himself to be something of a master of unintentional cruelty – he really has a keen eye for the mechanics of the mind and the interaction between different people – and the mess they are bound to get into. In this aspect I detect a resemblance with the work of Woody Allen.

Il cuore altrove certainly isn't a movie for everybody's taste but in any case a rewarding experience with many funny and tragic moments.

Pupi Avati is one of the best current directors working in the Italian Cinema. He is an original. His stories are never boring and he has the talent to create a stir among his viewers.

There is a role reversal here. Nello, the young Latin and Greek professor, has never known love, nor has he pursued it before. He meets and falls in love with Angela, the rich society girl that is temporarily blind. Little does Nello knows what he is getting into. Angela wants a vendetta against the real love of her life, who has abandoned her, when she loses her sight, for another.

The irony of the story is that Nello, even though he can see, is in reality the blind one, and it is Angela, the blind one, who will go to extremes to use him until she achieves the revenge she wants, except that at one point, she comes to realize that Nello adores her, but it's too late because then all she wants is to go ahead with an operation that might restore her eyesight.

Neri Marcore, is perfect as Nello. He makes us believe he is the awkward and naive Nello. Giancarlo Giannini is Cesare, Nello's father, who cheats on his wife, shamelessly. Vanessa Incontrada is perhaps the weakest of the principals since it appears this is her first appearance in a film.

Pupi Avati delivers another film that is well crafted and makes one think.

"Incantato (Il Cuore altrove)" is a beautiful looking film with an odd set-up and story line.

It's set in the Northern Italy of pre-World War II as that's about the last point one could have such naive characters, particularly the central man, a 35-year-old virgin classics teacher whose idea of love is what he's learned from the Latin poets.

He is a misfit everywhere - from his earthy family of Papal tailors, from beloved choruses because he sings too loudly, from his boarding housemates and their assignations, from the school administration about curriculum, and especially from women. He is under orders from his father, Giancarlo Giannini (in a virtual cameo whose comically vulgar language is not fully translated in the English subtitles), to get laid and get married, not with the same woman, so that he can follow dad's lifestyle in business, marriage and affairs.

He becomes infatuated with first one then another inappropriate woman, for opposite reasons. While he is sweet, and he wins over his students and all who he comes in contact with and his improbable courtships are charming to a point, but as we feel more and more sorry for him as we hope he won't but are sure he will end up in heart break, the movie just gets too unreservedly bittersweet.

The ending is simply a head-scratcher. The movie titles certainly don't help -- the original Italian title translates as "The Found Heart," while the U.S. title translates as "Enchanted" and neither is helpful to interpretation. (One member of the audience came to the movie not realizing it would be the same film she had already seen under the former title.)

The subtitles are not only annoyingly white on white, but put up both parts of a conversation at the same time.

There is a very excellent little cult movie cinema just near my house. I saw The Station Agent and A Heart Elsewhere (advertised name) tonight for $11Aus (bout $5US). The first was great, check it out, different style comedy. The second, A Heart Elsewhere, was a very interesting love tale.

The story is about Nelo; a 35year old virgin, intelligent and charming Italian. Nelo is sent to teach at and, more importantly, find a wife at a distant college. His father was scared of him becoming gay like his brother (Nelo's uncle). After a few failings he starts seeing an incredibly beautiful and blind women Angela.

The movie revolves around the emotions and the rationalising of the two leads. The 'easy', vengeful, slightly money hungry Angela, and the sensitive Nelo. Nelo is warned by by everyone he knows that Angela is a man eater. Indeed Angela's behaviour is sometimes questionable, but the motives remain unclear. A quote for an example shows 'Make sure they see us leave together. I want them to see us. Why is Angela acting this way? The movie draws you into the two characters and their world.

I saw this as a date movie with my girlfriend at the time. But it's not just a romance movie. It's an interesting look at a number of concepts. The idea of love in general, a broken person only able to find love in another broken person. The way in which blindness was treated. It wasn't a love story in the champagne and strawberries and heart warming sense. It was a true life story.

Also, the scenery of the movie was breath taking. Each room in the movie had these spectacular murals and the shear beauty of the movie 'scenes' was like watching a moving painting. Even Angela is referred to as a painting within the movie. A comment that is very fitting towards her beauty.

With all that in mind, it's not for everyone. If you generally like your blockbuster actions or your Bridgette Jones's romances, you may not like this. If you do like a little class, and a thoughtful, left of norm, tear jerker love story. This is it.

One note. White subtitles on white. One day they will stop this annoying habit, but not yet!

Overall: 6/10 for general audience. 9/10 for targeted audience.

in the 30s, a clumsy 35 years old professor of latin and humanities moves to Bologna, under the pressure of his parents (very important tailors in Rome, who work for the pope! they're disappointed by son's devotion to studies and unskillness with practical things) hoping he would eventually find a wife and settle family, giving them an heir to their fortune.

he is a very sensible and well-educated person, yet a kinda stranger in the real world. students are at first surprised by his manners, but then start to like him and his way of teaching, motivated from personal passion for classics.

his life changes when he meets a very exuberant pretty woman, who likes to enjoy life. What can make these two persons who are exactly the opposite one of the other close to each other? Actually she is blind and our guy the only one, with his sensibility, who can stand by her..but the thing is obstacled both from her parents (who thinks a school professor could not afford to give her the life standards she is used to) and his (who do not accept the fact she is blind). And she seems to be still in love wiht her previous boyfriend. will they finally come together?

a swiss doctor is trying hard new techniques to give her back the sight. Will she finally see again? in that case, what will change in their relationship, given the fact that was her blindness itself to make her notice him?

funny the first half, very touching the second part.

Pupi Avati has made a big job, and Marcorè is astonishly good in the role.