I Am Love centers on wealthy Italian family, the Recchis, and especially on wife Emma (played by Tilda Swinton). Born in Russia, she gave up her identity by marrying into the Recchi family. However, once she discovers her daughter’s break from family’s expectations, it inspires her to escape also. Her pursuit of freedom unfortunately has its most devastating effect on the person you believe she most loves – her son Edoardo (played by Flavio Parenti).
Motives of the characters are not convincingly played out and it is hard to feel sorry for Emma and to believe she couldn’t ‘find herself’ in a way less damaging to her family. Her husband is not cruel, in fact in a key moment of the film he is overwhelmingly compassionate, only to reject her after she first rebuffs him with the ultimate marital insult – a declaration of love for someone else. This new relationship feels bound to fail and even an extended and erotically filmed sex scene cannot convince you that love truly exist in this form of escape. Read the rest of this entry »
