Review by Vinoo
Language : Italian
Director : Paolo Sorrentino
‘The consequences of love’ belongs right there among the classics. It has been shot so well that it actually accentuates the main protagonist’s state of mind. It is the coming together of some lovely cinematography, very apt music and brilliant editing and direction. Titta Di Girolamo (a brilliant Toni Servillo) lives in a hotel in Switzerland. He sits alone reading while at the same time observing people, one of who is the hotel waitress, Sofia (the most beautiful Olivia Magnani), who he falls in love with. ‘Future plans : not to underestimate the consequences of love.’ He also eavesdrops on the conversation of the couple, in the adjacent room, who he gathers used to own the very hotel they stay in before turning bankrupt. Gradually, from Titta’s conversation with Sofia, we get to know he has been living in the same hotel for eight years. And besides spending time by himself he is an insomniac and administers himself with a dose of heroin every Wednesday, without fail. ‘Respectable society tends to oversimplify drugs. Dividing the world into addicts and non-addicts. It doesn’t take into account the many intermediate stages.’
Quoting from the film :
‘Insomniacs have one obsession : to sleep’. I don’t know about that :-).
‘Luck doesn’t exist. It’s just an invention of losers, and the poor.’
‘You felt needed. That’s why you came. I don’t need anybody.’
‘Stop giving me this mute performance, it doesn’t always work. You’ve got to say something.’
‘It’s ok. I like aggressive and rude people.’
Titta calls his wife but neither she nor his kids want to have a conversation with him. Titta would invest large sums of money for the mafia and he ends up losing billions. To compensate for it he has to live away from his family as a pawn in the hands of the mafia. From his hotel room he would take a suitcase, with millions, and deposit it in the bank for the mafia. One fine day the two men who deliver him the suitcase try and steal the suitcase with a million dollars. Titta recovers it but tells the mafia that he has lost it. He has already bought Sofia a car with money which the bank replaces for fear of losing a big client. ‘You stole my life. I stole your suitcase’ he tells the mafia. What he does with the one million he recovers and what happens to Sofia and what happens to his one and only friend from his childhood is not revealed until the brilliant climax.
I might not know much about cinematography but I can tell you the opening scene and the closing scenes are fabulous. Also there is a shot where Titta administers heroin and falls on the bed. There is a shot that I gather is a 180 degree flip. It puts you in the protagonist state of mind and gives you the high he is in. Riveting watch this thriller.
Also watched ‘The family friend’ by Paolo Sorrentino. Brilliant casting there again, and a must watch.
Watched three Tamil films ‘Veyil’ – worth a watch, ‘Achamundu achamundu’ – worth a watch, ‘Pokkisha’ – disappointing from Cheran.
Was good to see ‘Sound’ credits for ‘Pazhashi Raja’ in the trailers. Now that surely is one contribution you should give credit to Resul Pookutty for. High time we started seeing more prominence to Screenwriters, Editors, Audiographers right alongside Producers, Directors, Cinematographers, Lyricists and Music Directors. I am sure you would want to add more to this list but I must say this is a good beginning.
Useless trivia : Paolo Sorrentino made his acting debut in Nanni morretti’s ‘The Caiman’(been long pending on my ‘must-watch’ list). Toni Servillo is a Sorrentino regular and appears in all his films except ‘The family friend’.
See large size poster of ‘The Consequences of Love’ here
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