I Am Love Review

I Am Love reminds the audience that being a viewer is a privilege, not a right.  It communicates this truth subtly: when Emma (Tilda Swinton) and Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) share their first fateful kiss, the shot is out of focus, giving only the impression of the spontaneous romance, though at the same time, perhaps expressing it even more authentically by doing so.  Similarly, in a particularly emotional scene, we are given only the characters' stiff body language to read their responses, their heads out of the frame.  Touches like these heighten the sense of lush superrealism.  It's a simple love story set against the changing politics of a family business, but the attention to detail means that the viewer won't be able to take it all in, creating a sense of omission.  It's a fascinating creation.


Swinton turns in one of her best performances, at once strong and lost, a ghost in her own immense home trying to recreate herself.  However, she doesn't seek a new persona, but instead to return to the identity that was robbed from her by her husband.  She finds freedom and reassurance in Antonio, starting a romance reminiscent of her relationship with her husband in its early days, perhaps foreshadowing that she is part of a cycle, and this is simply the next step in her lack of fulfillment.

Her chemistry with Gabbriellini is sexy and believable, though much of the depth is left to the viewer's imagination.  Gabbriellini's shy embarrassment is a charming complement to Swinton's more active character, and the expression of his feelings and personality through his food is effective if unoriginal.  The more interesting use of food is what it represents for Emma: once a cure for homesickness, with Antonio, it becomes a physical assurance that she's where she belongs at long last.  She's found home in him.

While most of the film is comprised of simple, everyday scenes - family dinners, parties, business meetings, excursions to the city - there is an interesting definition through the score, which makes certain scenes feel like parts of other films.  A scene of Emma stealthily following Antonio through the city becomes a chase scene from some sort of spy thriller, while the final beautiful scene is raised to rapturous new heights by the accompanying score.  The music creates a sense of fractured but complete identity that reflects Emma's turmoil perfectly.

I Am Love, while on the surface a family drama, is actually a character study of a woman who defies who she has become.  She takes her identity into her own hands, finding definition through new love, as well as food.  With her new culinary beau, she allows herself to be undressed, stripped down to her core.  He extracts her essence and together, they create a more meaningful dish, but there is no guarantee for the audience that the romance is more than a second course in a lengthier meal.