A week of watching Colin Firth's films. Movie 3rd.
To be honest, I love Italy. A very beautiful sunny country, many cities of which are known all over the world. Rome, with its ancient Pantheon; Milan with its Milan Cathedral; Pisa with its famous Pisa Tower; micro-state The Vatican, with the residence of the Pope; the city of my dreams Venice and its stunning canals with sigh bridges and festivals; Pisa even the world with its famous landscape. There's a lot more. I don't know anything about a city like Genoa. No, I have heard the name, but apart from the name I do not know about it at all.
But Genoa is the largest northern port of Italy and the center of the resort life of the Ligurian coast, which gave the world such great people as Christopher Columbus (although he is a Spaniard, but he was born in Genoa , where his home is still preserved), a navigator, explorer and discoverer of the American continent; and a figure of the communist and international labor movement - Palmiro Togliatti (yes, one of the cities named after Russia). In Genoa he wrote his famous works, the incomparable Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, whose operas glorified the local musical theater throughout the world. In the most famous Genoese prison, once languished great traveler Marco Polo. In the city streets Genoa very fond of walking the famous philosopher Nietzsche accompanied by the artist Klee. In Genoa spent all his childhood the greatest musician Niccolo Paganini. Yes, a lot of what and who else gave the world Genoa. I didn’t know anything about her.
And so, as part of watching films, Colin Firth found this film (never seen it before), and after watching it, she learned about this wonderful city, in the north of Italy.
The action of the film "Genoa" takes place against the backdrop of the beautiful seascapes of the Adriatic, the sunny beaches of Genoa Bay, the lush greenery of the Apennine Mountains, ancient monasteries and narrow streets of this ancient Italian town. Joe is a single father with two daughters, eleven-year-old Mary and sixteen-year-old Kelly to start his life again after the tragic death of his wife Mariana. There he meets the beautiful Barbara, a woman with a beautiful character, ready to become the perfect stepmother for girls. But it's not that simple - Mary has her own life and her own secrets. Kelly tries to drown out the pain of losing her mother by hanging out with bad guys and smoking marijuana, and this is where her first love catches up. And the baby Mary, passionately passionate about music and drawing, does not intend to drown out her pain, deceive herself and put up with the death of her beloved mother. She quietly experiences this loss and the pain of loss, and often sees the ghost of her dead mother. Will this family survive the tragedy and return to normal life?
A beautiful film, makes you think about life and relationships with children and loved ones. There is no active action, but what a strain the whole film, a revaluation of values occurred in all members of this family. The film is unsaid and that is life itself. The aftertaste is excellent.
The film is really wonderful, touching the soul, making you think, prompting some revaluation of values. The truth is not very easy. This is a reflection film, with a tragic component. The viewer is simply invited to plunge into the everyday life of a quite ordinary family experiencing a terrible tragedy. The viewer seems to watch a documentary, and relentlessly follows the main characters. A very interesting film, from a psychological point of view, but like every drama, it is quite heavy and naturally not for everyone.
Colin Firth is irresistible in the role of a single father, and a heartbroken husband who lost his beloved wife. His painful look, his tortured smile through the tears in his eyes, just turn everything in the soul upside down. So all emotions are natural, as if this tragedy happened in the life of the actor himself and he is experiencing all this in reality.
The young actresses who played his daughters liked them, although they had never seen them before. They were pretty natural, too. Very beautiful background music sounds throughout the film, just a beautiful melody.
I especially liked the city itself. It turns out that Genoa is beautiful, and she is a full-fledged character in this story. I like that there are many cities here. That, I think, is right. After all, it is on the old narrow streets of Genoa that the main events of the film unfold.
I think it happened to everyone when everything that happens around you is superimposed on your feelings. Everything you do, watch, read, listen, as if passing through those personal experiences that excite you at this very moment. Accidentally meeting him, I understood, and felt that I just need to look at him, and feel.
The heroes of the film, having arrived in Genea, do not even suspect how this city can release all deeply hidden experiences and awaken new ones. From the simple joys of the Mediterranean sea, the warm wind and the bright sun in the wonderful villages surrounding Genea, to the fear and feeling of inner devastation arising from the narrow and gloomy streets of the old city, and the ringing silence of the mountain paths leading to the ancient monasteries. Genoa will give an opportunity to feel and understand something new about yourself, each of the characters of the film. This movie is for everyone who wants to know, feel and love Italy, and especially this mysterious city - Genea.
The film touches the soul, conquers with its simplicity and depth, because the experiences of its characters are close to every person. Beautiful city, beautiful beach, sea, sun, beautiful (no matter what) Colin Firth Nice to see. No superheroes, no super-love, no super-villains. A simple life, a normal family. Of course, the finale is a bit discouraging, since the brain is used to looking for the entanglement-culmination-denouement, that is, the logical construction of the plot. There's no such thing. And it's great that you can watch a movie without making any sense. Moreover, not all directors manage to unobtrusively convey any bright idea, without moralizing, obsession, vulgarity or condescension to the viewer. In this case, the meaning remained in the heart, not in thoughts. . .
Something is wrong under the gloomy golden sun of Genoa, breathing from the tight interweavings of its streets, splashing in the salty waves like blood. You wander through the wells, all-narrowing corridors with the heroes, and the feeling as if lost in the darkness of their souls, about which they themselves know very little. Do you want to know?
Everyone reacts to the death of loved ones in their own way, often unpredictable. The father behaves as usual: he goes to work, looks after his daughters and even smiles at pretty young Italian women. If there is something inside, we cannot see it. The eldest daughter, in the absence of surveillance and reproaches, is still quite immature in her body, forgotten in the arms of guys who want anyone. If she is sad, sad or sad, we do not notice it. And only the youngest daughter suffers. It's open, it's honest. And she still sees her mom. And I wouldn't even dare argue that she thinks so.
Throughout the picture, you are waiting for something, most likely, a new tragedy. It seems that something is about to happen: a murky sky will open, a black Italian girl will stab someone, an old balcony will fall off and crush the heroes, the car will crash, falling from a cliff. All because in Genoa, despite all its beauty and atmosphericity - uncomfortable, unusual and scary. And when the expectation of trouble reaches its climax, the rustling of death is heard from around the corner, and the guilt of the little girl is fully realized by it - purification descends. Perhaps Genoa can become a new home, and life can begin again, and the father and the eldest daughter will still show that they are alive. But does everyone want to see them alive and happy?
The film begins with the death of her mother after a girl of primary school age closed her eyes while driving a car.
I can hardly imagine what it should be for upbringing in the family, so that such a large child made an act at the level of development of 3 years. Moreover, the father gives a favorable impression of a developed, balanced and caring father. Well, there is nothing to do, we swallow what we give.
Looking forward to the story.
The plot developed, but no more than the brain of the youngest heroine of the film at the time of the car accident: the family moves to Europe, Genoa, to the friend of his father’s youth. Here, the girls take music lessons and walk home through the dark, puked streets, where at each intersection they are accompanied by the glances of one or two unkempt Genoese. In addition, the eldest daughter relieves stress by non-binding sex with a local guy from the party. Here. That's it. The constantly appearing visions of the mother in the youngest daughter are generally understandable, but no one works with her. The father never had an affair, the older sister brings a guy to the house and scolds the younger one for seeing him naked with the door open. In general, as my father said about the film "Stalker", "the whole session people strained and waited for something to explode on the minefield, and nothing torn, came out disappointed", and here - we are scolded by the laxity, stupidity, irresponsibility of each family member, but there is neither morality nor plot, and to watch an hour and a half as a minor walks down the alley, turning to whores and single men, it is simply not serious. The whole movie I was afraid to miss something important, because a priori I expect something useful, but I was in vain. Everything could be done in the form of a short film. Perhaps I should be simpler, and not think about the safety of children, be simpler, and allow children to have sex more often, but so far this is wildness for me (and, here is a more interesting film, although teenagers also burn, but even though the rudiments of the mind are at least female figures, and not like a stick on a twig), and this narrative - it is boring, teaching nothing, bringing nothing but poisonous "so what?" About what? Unanswered questions.
P.S. Harry Potter should have watched the third part.
My former freshness is alive in them; in them is the justification of my old age.
Genoa. It is a strange city to start living again. Frozen road with the car overturned, broken glass, black blood in the syringe hair of the mother - behind. And the tearful roar of the youngest daughter, Mary will turn the world inside out, but will not bring back to life the ghost that kisses her on the forehead every night and then disappears into the shadows. Mary, Mary. Well, you are not afraid to raise your heads and admit how much you miss her, do not hesitate to be weak, to be a weeper, in some monastery to light a candle in her memory, to paint her, blonde and beloved - black griffle. Someone has to do it for everyone. Dad has to be strong and lead by example. He is good; leaving to lecture at the university, he puts on a white shirt and somehow squints youthfully, relaxed talking with local students - the sparkling essence of a foreign culture, elastic and toasted in the sun adventure. Or will face a friend of college time, which sweetly reminds of past hobbies and fill with enthusiasm faded face of the father and widower. It may be that he was alarmed at the suddenly blossoming Kelly, the eldest daughter, who without looking back throws herself into the outstretched strong hands of beautiful Italian young men, flirts with them, and cheats with us, while life, signaling, but not hurting, quickly rushes past - on Vespa, on a yacht, on a suburban train to the sea and back.
The experience of loss is a deeply personal feeling, bubbling somewhere in the seventh dungeon of the soul and not allowing you to cool down inside, although everything is calm, indifferent, a little confused. And if this was inspired by Michael Winterbottom, then to show the darkness and cold under the heaviest he was very tolerable. Genoa is not Rome or Bali to indulge in the unrestrained absorption of food, prayer, men and postcards. Genoa is a limbo, along the dark and dangerous streets of which the characters wander, tend to escape to the sunny side of the street or fly into the narrow gap between the roofs, but the camera does not let them - immediately lowers them into the gateway, into the shadow, into the rooms of apartments or cafes. They cannot find peace of mind for themselves, although their hands have long been occupied with unnecessary scales for the piano, and their feet are only for warm-ups carried to the beach or to a historic place. But their eyes do not see the city, do not see the horizon to which we should strive, and with them we are blind, winding enchanted circles according to their routine, bored with the uncertainty of events, without feeling an ounce of relief. And like a digital camera, according to the precepts of Dogma, allows us to enjoy trembling overflows of emotions on the charming face of a young actress, and as if we also want to dissolve in the comforting embrace of Colin Firth instead of his paws-daughters. But Winterbottom leads us by the nose through the same boring alleys, not allowing us to dodge either the melodramatic or mystical plot plan, which is quite common to expect from such films. Not this time and not in this place: no matter how much you want to sprawl into atoms and become a part of history, weave yourself into the DNA of an old European city, as Murakami romantically twisted it in the magical realism of My Beloved Sputnika, here we are forced to return to the rut of stingy normality and reunite with a suddenly rising family, so as never to lose each other again. Perhaps this is not what the sophisticated viewer wanted to understand, but exactly what Michael wanted to tell himself, whose wife also recently disappeared from his life, leaving him alone to deal with himself and this insensitive world.
The director’s plan definitely deserves attention. Digital camera, hence low budget and jitters, unexpected hits (just like in Dogma). Guest star in the person of Colin Firth. Clear branding is not too promoted in the cinematic art of the city (I remember only “At the walls of Malapaga” and “Cobra Day”). Atmospheric film, more showing the mood of city streets, rather than trying to saturate the viewer with information. Prioritize feelings over logic. An ambiguous mystical caveat. That's all the secrets.
And all these elements seemed to me much more interesting than the plot. In itself, the story of reconciliation with tragedy in the family is not new for cinema. I am sure that when he took up the creation of this film, Winterbottom took into account both Nanni Moretti’s Son’s Room and Bertolucci’s Escaped Beauty. That’s why the film’s visuals are so different. You can see that the bet was on the original staging style. Specific lighting and filters gave an unusual color, sometimes giving grounds to assume that we are watching a movie about some gloomy world. And this visual component seems to me the most significant here.
It seemed to me that the relationship between a widowed father and two growing up daughters could be revealed much more interesting. Winterbottom as if a weak manager singled out stamps - one emotional and sublime, the other is looking for carnal pleasures, and the father can not find himself. But it was in the disclosure of these people, drawing the details of their actions, contradictions and different values that it was possible to construct a very, very powerful structure. Meanwhile, time after time, I heard lengthy pseudo-intellectual conversations, the passage of heroes through the city and the monotonous Firth. Firth was quite monotonous, and despite the obvious acting potential, his play was more alarming than pleasing.
So, quite a high rating for this film I put more for the design and courage of the embodiment than for cinematic merit. Of course, the ending was very harmonious. So I wanted to draw parallels with “Now do not look”, but the thickening clouds simply replaced the catharsis of family unity. It was boring because it was all done.
Many films are devoted to the theme of broken families who somehow try to glue the fragments together after the loss of one of the family members. That's exactly what this movie is about. After a tragic accident in which the mother of the girls, Kelly, the eldest, and Marianna, the younger, dies, their father decides to move to another country to start a new life.
But starting first is easier said than done. Kelly gets involved with bad company and disappears for days, Marie suffers nightmares, after which she begins to see the ghost of her mother and even talk to him. As for the father, he struggles to take care of his daughters, but rather mistreats Kelly and allows her to be in bad company.
The relationship between the sisters is very subtle. During walks, they do not hold hands: it is noteworthy that the younger does not even try to take the older one by the hand, but is found near the father. Kelly is kept apart during family walks and speaks only when necessary - it seems that she has no place in the father-daughter idyll. In my opinion, the father pays almost no attention to Kelly, completely focusing on Marie, since the experiences of the sisters are different: Kelly experiences inside herself, and Marie splashes out.
A very good, emotional film that teaches, by all means, to always be a family.