Sunday 6 February 2011

Genova
(2008)

RATING: 60%



Experimental, low budget, video-shot movie that is a good example of the tale-wagging-the-dog in starting with a place and trying to work out a reasonable drama from there.

The acting is impeccable but the characters are banal and stereotypical and lead us nowhere in particular. The intimate, Peter Watkins-like shooting style adds to the intimacy of the film, while comparisons with Don't Look Now and Millions only make you wish this film were as good as they were.

The alleyways of Genoa are well exploited to suggest being lost in an emotional maze of grief & despair and the characters' difficulty in coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. As with so much in life, without coming-to-terms there can only be the playing of the blame game. However, there is a lack of focus here and no analysis of why the characters repress their emotions on the fallacious basis of least-said-soonest-mended.

This film is stuck within the limitations of its characters, and so it also thus preaches the affective retardation that damages its characters. The standout performance comes from the guileless yet guilt-wracked Perla HANEY-JARDINE - the only character genuinely-addressing her true emotions.


Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

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