One of my favorite trips was going to Italy. Every block I walked felt as if I was traveling back in time; seeing statues and buildings I had only seen in history books. It was mind-blowing for me. I gained a new appreciation for fresh unprocessed food. Tomatoes’ sweet juice oozed down my cheek when I bit into them. The nightly dessert of gelato would evoke a deep sigh of contented pleasure as smooth chilled creaminess coated my tongue and teeth, leaving a memory that it once resided in my mouth. Oh, excuse me; let me get back on track to doing a movie review and not a descriptive list of everything I ate while visiting that great country. Right from the start I knew this dramatic film could not be bad. Set in Milan, there were gorgeous scenes of the city and countryside with a particular focus on the art of food presentation. A wealthy family came together to celebrate the birthday of the family’s patriarch. When granddaughter Elisabetta Recchi, played by Alba Rohrwacher (Come Undone, The Man Who Will Come), gave her grandfather an unexpected birthday gift, the viewer was given their first clue on the impending turmoil bubbling up just under the surface of the family’s calm proper veneer. Elisabetta’s mother Emma, played by Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Michael Clayton), could give up only so much after having left Russia to marry into the powerful Recchi family. This stylish beautiful movie unfolded like a high end soap opera, filled with passion and turmoil. Tilda was wonderful in the role and I admired her ability to speak fluent Italian and Russian for her character. Parts of the story seemed contrived to me; making several scenes easily predictable. However, the moody atmospheric filming of stunning Italy not only made me hungry for the outcome of the story; it made me aware of my desire to return to a pure and fresh way of living. Italian and Russian with English subtitles.

2 3/4 stars — DVD