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"Italian for Beginners" is another Danish film that
follows in the Dogme 95 tradition of such films as
"Breaking the Waves" and "The Celebration".
This means the film has this documentary real-life aspect to it
with the actors seemingly wearing no make-up and is
characterized by such things as the absence of great color and
lighting. What makes these films interesting is that the
characters seem real and ordinary, many who could easily be your
next door neighbors.
This movie is basically about a bunch of people who really have
a lot in common, even though most of them don't know each other
at the beginning of the film. These characters are the
forgotten people in society, trying to find love and meaning in
their most uneventful day-to-day lives. There is a young
pastor whose wife has died and is himself searching for God.
There is a hairdresser whose old, dying father vocally abuses
her and makers her feel worthless. There is an obnoxious
young restaurant manager who yells at people eating if they drop
their fork on the floor. There is a sweet bakery clerk who
is clumsy and ends up using much of her paycheck to pay for
bakery items she has dropped. In the course of the film,
these lonely hearts come to connect with each other thru a
series of events which is effected by many of them meeting each
other by taking an Italian speaking course. It's not that
these people really want to learn Italian, but they all seem to
use the class to meet other lonely people.
This film is filled with moments of deep pain and you feel so
much for these characters. But at the same time, there is
a lot of understated, quick humor and many funny scenes that the
film evolves into a touching, feel-good movie. You care
about each and every character and watch with anticipation on
what may happen to them. And I especially like the way the
director lets the scenes develop slowly and with restraint, so
that the character's emotions are played out without the corny
melodrama seen in many films. There are also a few
surprises on the way which provide an even more emotional impact
on the viewer watching the film.
It's both a fun and moving experience watching this film as the
intertwining love stories play out and you see the lives of the
people grow richer as they finally find true love become more
confident and happy with their lives. It's almost as if
you can see the gloom and doom fade from their faces into a
radiant glow. I recommend this film strongly.
-- Mike
( 4 out of 4 pops )
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