I AM LOVE (2010) (***1/2)

This tragic tale of an elite family doesn't blaze new dramatic territory that similar films like THE LEOPARD have done before. But the quiet direction of Luca Guadagnino and subtle performance of Tilda Swinton make many moments truly special. Unexpected moments take on the intensity of a Hitchcock thriller and when you think that sex scenes have become rote, this film makes them erotic again.

Emma (Swinton, MICHAEL CLAYTON) is the Russian bride of Tancredi Recchi (Pippo Delbono), the next in line to take over the Recchi family textile business. At his birthday party, patriarch Edoardo Recchi Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti, L'AVVENTURA) reveals that he is stepping down and putting not only Tancredi in charge, but also his grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti). The ill, old man knows that his grandson has respect for tradition and that Tancredi plans to simply cash in and sell the company.

In this world of wealth, Emma is vastly unsatisfied. She makes appearances at their dinner parties, but then shuffles off to be by herself in her own private room. The standards of being a Recchi are overwhelming. Edoardo Jr. wants to be a racer, but a recent loss to the aspiring chef Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) makes the rest of his family confident that he will give up this child's play and focus on the family business. Emma's daughter Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher, MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD) could never reveal that she is a lesbian. But Emma is not like the rest of them. When she discovers Elisabetta's secret, she is more interested in whether she is happy than what the other family members might think. Looking to do something on his own, Edoardo Jr. befriends Antonio and decides to help the young man start a restaurant. In the process Emma becomes deeply attracted to the young cook. They start up an affair and for the first time in a long time she finds happiness herself.

The two areas where this film reaches exemplary status is in its lead performance and its direction. Oscar winner Swinton again proves why she is one of the best working today. She learned Italian for this role and then does it with a Russian accent. She is subtle and fragile. She has spent many years holed away in that private room and it takes great bravery to step out of it. Swinton conveys all of this with body language and the tone of her voice.

Guadagnino's direction is truly a rarity. He uses style to convey emotions. For the most part, the film is quiet and methodically paced. But then it throws at the audience moment of fast paced cutting and a blaring, powerful score. Watch the sense when Emma takes a diversion to San Remo hoping to run into Antonio. It is cut like a Hitchcock chase seen. As an audience member you can almost feel Emma's heart pounding. He repeats this style for a crucial at the end when Emma is racing home. The score again blaring. Emma stops and quietly stares at someone. So much is conveyed in this wordless moment.

And when Emma and Antonio make love for the first time. Guadagnino slides the camera up and down the bodies of his actors as if he were the hands of a lover. If porn is about climax then this scene is all foreplay.

This thoughtful Italian production has old school film elegance. It pays attention to the story it's telling and how film can be manipulated in order to tell that story in an emotional and artistic way. It never amps up the melodrama and in doing so paints a more devastating picture of tragedy. Melodrama happens in real life, but life keeps on moving and we don't get the luxury of foreshadowing. What does it all mean? Do we know what our own lives mean? At the simplest level, we need to pursue happiness, because one day we'll be dead. This film finds hope in that idea. It's never too late until it's too late.