This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Another brilliant film from the Turkish director who has settled in italy and has made some real good cinema with some pretty prominent gay characters. This film might not come as close to some of his other gems but nonetheless this one also make for a very very pleasant viewing and makes you think that not everything is so pleasant and good as it seems on the outside. Everyone is going through their own issues, problems and solutions.
Giovanna and her husband Fillipo are both not happy with their jobs specially since they work day and night shifts respectively. They constantly argue about everything which kind of shows that their marriage is crumbling but they are together only for the sake of their kids. Once walking they met an old man who is totally disoriented and is carrying a lot of money with him. Despite Giovanna's protests, Filippo brings him back to their home for the night so that he can take him to the police the next morning. 1 day stretches into many days. This old man who Giovanna thinks is named Simone because that is the only name the old man remembers, keeps having strange visuals. He sees himself trying to save lives of various Jews and in the process losing his lover. Taking care of this old man, leads to Giovanna meeting Lorenzo who lives in the opposite building. The sexual tension between the two is quite palpable as they have both been secretly watching and lusting after each other from their dimly lit windows. Their friendship leads to passionate kiss in the process of trying to unravel the mystery of the old man. And now since Lorenzo is being transferred for work, Giovanna is in a tough spot where she can't decide whether to choose her heart and go with Lorenzo or choose her mind and continue with her responsibilities. She chooses later. One day when Goivanna finds a love letter in Simone's coat addressed to Simone from a certain Davide. The next day Simone disappears. After a series of incidents she finds out that Simone is indeed Davide, the famous owner of the bakeries in Italy. She gets the exclusive privilege of learning from the man himself. And the letter is something that he wrote to his old time lover in 40s. That what the time was homosexuality was a complete no no and it was the war time. Davide had heard the news that Jews were gonna get killed, so Davide had to decide between heart and mind. One said save your lover and forget the rest and mind said to protect a many people as you can. He chose the latter and ended up losing his love forever.
The most interesting aspect is how both Davide in 40s and now Giovanni has to decide between their heart and mind and how they both choose responsibilities over the former. The acting by all lead characters is just superb. Giovanna depicts her confusions, frustration and responsibilities with great skills. Davide's character takes time to make sense but when finally it does towards the end, the viewers are shocked. You get to witness how in the present day the 2 lovers behave and meet (although maybe not pure since the woman is married) and similarly how the 2 men used to communicate with each other hiding letters in secret places that only they could read. It is in fact the sad love story of the 2 men that makes you cry and want more. But at the same time it is the beauty of the screenplay and the direction that is completely magical. I feel now I should watch this movie again a second time to closely watch some of the minute nuisances that i might have missed the first time.
Take a bow Mr. Ferzan Ozpetek for you have proved time and again that you are not a fluke. Your films are absolutely magical and very close to my heart. (7.5/10)
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