Je voyage seule

Yes there is some beautiful scenery and the movie gives you some insight into the life of Italian people and then what? Seriously there is more of a story on a box of cereal. She travels a lot and realises that her dream job has some negatives as well. Big deal. Everything in life has a price - we all know that. However, would we make a film about it?

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.

This is an intelligent and well-crafted film with fine acting, a sharp script, at times humorous with some surprises along the way, and ably directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi. I thought the characters were well developed and believable, as well as the movie being beautifully shot via its cinematography.

Margherita Buy is superb as Irene Lorenzi, employed by a publication as a mystery guest, where she travels the globe examining luxury hotels to see if their standards are up to a 5-star rating. She's very thorough and conscientious in her job, but begins to realize that years are passing, and that she remains quite lonely.

Irene is unmarried and has no children, and except for her best friend Andrea (Stefano Accorsi), with whom she had a relationship with some 15 years before, her sister Silvia (Fabrizia Sacchi), brother-in-law Tomasso (Gianmarco Tognazzi) and her two nieces, she has no intimacy with anyone else.

When a shocking event occurs at one of her hotel stays, she must really focus on re-evaluating her priorities and her life.

To me, this was an exceptional and enjoyable movie geared to adults, filled with fine performances, intelligence, humor, and surprises.

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.

This simple story explain very well that we have one life to live as we choose, although sometimes we might doubt about our decision and we should be ready to revise them, as age advances.

This is our journey and we should not be influenced by conventions to choose a "normal" life. Besides, as shown in the film, there is nothing great in living the "normal" life, especially if you feel you are not cut out for it.

Irene chose to inspect luxury hotels for a living and travels most of the time. She could have a stable relationship, proved by the fact that she is very friendly with her ex and meets him regularly, but for the sake of the narrative, we must assume she cannot have it.

Her sister Silvia leads the "normal" life, married with a couple of kids. However, she does not seem ecstatically happy. In fact, she has all the "normal" problems of middle aged people: a boring marriage; growing kids; loosing her attractiveness, etc...

Irene suffers a panic attack following a fleeting connection with another guest at a luxury hotel. The false sense of security a luxury hotel may give is briefly debated, but my personal opinion is that it is still better to sleep in a 5 star hotel than under a bridge - so I am not a fan of the social commentary, but it is a sideline.

This is for me a simple tale about the meaning of life. One should understand that your life has the meaning you give to it and that there is no right or wrong. Good movie, anyway...