2005, Italy
Drama, Romance
When opposites attract, they may not always be contrary in nature, but rather converse in the way nature has treated them. When a blind man finds himself smitten with a woman with a large facial birthmark, they become aware of alternative ways to view the world around them. First-time director Francesco Fei emphasizes these sensations by tampering with the aural and visual world we are accustomed to experiencing.
How many of our memories are aural? The laughter of children from our youth convey two vastly different experiences depending on whether the intonation implies amusement or mocking belittlement. A lazy vacation could best be remembered by the sounds of waves crashing, and a noisy trip to the city differs vastly with the soft sounds of the country. However, to a blind man, all sounds are memorable.
Luca (a gentle Ignazio Oliva) has turned his heightened sense of hearing into a quiet little musical career. He alters everyday hidden sounds, such as the drone of relay stations or the buzz of the airport, and alters their frequencies until others may hear them the way he does. He has turned his struggle into art and focuses upon his new abilities as unique skills.
Francesca (an overly-sensitive Anita Caprioli) is a beautiful woman who happens to have a birthmark across her left cheek. Overly paranoid and self-conscious, she feels the need to not only cover it with makeup for those with sight, but refuses to discuss it with the man who loves her who has lost his sight. So emotionally scarred from an unfriendly youth, she cowers from the world and snaps back whenever she thinks someone is starring.
Fei brings the audience into these two’s separate perceptions by contrasting the disjointed views of the world around them. Volume is raised to unusual levels and frequencies increased, and then in a matter of moments one speaker will shut off and then the other. Fei does not build these sounds slowly, but rather abruptly throws the audience into this enhanced observation of Luca’s every day.
Francesca, on the other hand, feels to be constantly under the microscope. Scenes are played as if through intrusive surveillance cameras. As she becomes closer and more comfortable with Luca, she observes a performance art troop spray-painting over camera lenses -- perhaps a temporary release from her paranoia.
Though Luca’s work focuses on emphasizing small sounds and creating a new musical landscape, he begins to work with a man who puts his notes against a screen of images. He claims he is merely building upon Luca’s creation in this time of constant streams of information. This offends Francesca, who often passes a barrage of ads screaming with the enormous faces of beautiful people. She is not so quick to turn her aggravation into something positive, and is far more resistant to allowing Luca deeper into her world.
Fei presents a lovely display of sights and sounds and incongruous memories. Few words are needed when so much is conveyed via these heightened senses. Experimental without being unnerving, this film maintains a sweetness and charm without losing its sensitivity.
Comments (1)
Your reviews blow me away. I live in a relatively rural area in Mid-America and don't have the opportunity to see most of these films. But your reviews make me very much want to see them! And look for them when we travel. Thank you for this web site.
Posted by Sue Ellen | January 10, 2007 9:29 AM
Posted on January 10, 2007 09:29