This might come as a shock to many who were emotionally overwhelmed by “Call Me By Your Name” over it’s impressive opening weekend and months of guild and Academy screenings, but director Luca Guadagnino actually has another masterpiece on his resume, “I Am Love.”
READ MORE: Luca Guadagnino Talks ‘Call Me By Your Name’ And ‘Suspiria’
Guadagnino’s third narrative film debuted at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nods for Film Not In The English Language and Best Foreign Language Film, respectively. It was passed over as Italy’s Foreign Language Film Oscar submission for Paolo Virzi’s “The First Beautiful Thing” which didn’t even make the category shortlist. Why you ask? Italian critics were not a fan of the film even though a majority of those outside of Italy raved. To say the committee made a mistake was an understatement.
Oh, and full disclosure, it was my no. 1 film of 2010.
Set in 2000, the film centers on Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton), a fortysomething Russian woman who has married into a wealthy industrial Milan family. While she slowly learns the details of her daughter’s affair with another woman she unexpectedly falls for her son’s friend Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini), a master chef who unintentionally seduces her with his culinary creations. As her romance with Antonio blossoms, a tragic event occurs which forces Emma to reconsider the life she’s spent years cultivating.
The film is a masterwork of cinematic sensuality, editing and sound design that feels almost radical compared to “Call Me.” Watching them in reverse order is a unique experience as you discover the experimental artistic eye Guadagnino has tempered over his last two films when you take 2015’s “A Bigger Splash” into account. Moreover, Guadagnino’s talent is even more imposing when you note the visual consistency between all three films despite the fact he’s worked with two different cinematographers during this period (Yorick Le Saux and Sayombhu Mukdeeprom). “Call Me” confirmed Guadagnino as a true auteur, but it began with “I Am Love.”
The drama also features one of the most impressive performances of Tilda Swinton’s already impressive career (she speaks in Italian with a Russian accent for Pete’s sake). You could argue she was better in “Orlando” and “Michael Clayton,” but that’s pretty much about it (let’s not talk about “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” O.K.?).
The good news is that you can currently catch “I Am Love” on Hulu, YouTube (for a $2.99 rental), iTunes or Sundance Now on Amazon Video. If you loved “Call Me” you simply shouldn’t miss it.
For a taste of “I Am Love” watch the trailer embedded at the top of this post or the two clips below.