I Am Love 2009
I Am Love | Io Sono L'Amore
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| I Am Love-Io Sono L'Amore |
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We open on a journey through the idyllic snow-covered streets of Milan in the run-up to Christmas. We enter a stunning, bourgeois mansion house: the home of the wealthy Recchi family.
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About I Am Love 💬
I AM LOVE tells the story of the wealthy Recchi family of Milan, whose lives are rapidly changing. The family patriarch Edoardo Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti) has surprised the family by willing shared ownership of his massive industrial company to both his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono), and his grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti). Gianluca (Mattia Zaccaro), Edo's brother is left out of the deal. Meanwhile, Edo has other plans, dreaming of opening a restaurant with a talented chef friend, Antonio Biscaglia (Edoardo Gabbriellini). At the heart of the family is Tancredi's wife and Edoardo Jr.'s mother, Emma (Tilda Swinton), a Russian immigrant who has adopted the culture of Milan, and whose existence is shaken when she enters a passionate love affair with her son's friend Antonio.
Tilda Swinton - Emma Recchi
The film is about a woman, named Emma, aged between 40 and 50, who don't generate wealth or culture. Her husband Tancredi, a rich manufacturer from North Italy, picked her for her beauty, just as he would have chosen a piece of artwork. Emma is a piece of property; she had children and she fulfilled her role and now she finds herself at that point in life when the cage, the prison she has been living in, vividly appears before her eyes with all its explicit drama. Emma comes from a cage, Russia, that she left in the pre-Gorbachev era to have access to the free world. And in the free world, she locked herself up in another cage, the family. And lies.
Life is the great engine of change in human beings. It is the great creator of crises, the catalyst for metamorphoses. Emma falls in love with another outcast. Like her. A passion that is seen as unacceptable by her social class, family and society in general. In this, Emma has many predecessors in cinema and literature, like Emma Bovary, Alida Valli from Senso, and Anna Karenina. She is a giving woman; her love is unconditional. A person who is able to face absolutes, like life, death, and all-absorbing passion and to never give up. She is a pure radical.
All the characters in this film are trapped but in different ways. Tancredi's father, the founding father, the maker of fortune, the maker of the family's status, Gabriele Ferzetti, has reached the point where he has to hand over his power. He makes his choice, because he believes he sees in one of his descendants ''the same look'', but that look isn't there. He doesn't see that that look he is looking for elsewhere, maybe in Elisabetta, the granddaughter, who is insignificant as a woman in battles for possession and power. But she has aspirations and talent for liberty, rebellion. The consciousness of the mother, my character, is raised from that rebellion.
Flavio Parenti - Edoardo Recchi Jr.
We worked on so many levels. We tried to find the right posture for Edo, the right-hand movements, and the details of his elegance in searching for the ''natural formality'' that is typical of the aristocratic class. Luca was very severe with me. His dedication to his work and to his vision pushed him to never lose control over me and to never be satisfied. This dynamically generated friction between us that incredibly benefitted my search for Edo's inner dimension. I still don't know if his behavior towards me was manipulative or unwitting, but I like to think that he always knew what he was doing.
I believe that in I AM LOVE it is possible to speak of styling: it seems to me that the director's taste permeated all the departments, creating one sole taste that suits Edo very well.
As far as Edo is concerned, Antonio's cooking will be the sword that pierces his heart. Antonio's cooking will steal the mother's love. Antonio's cooking will show them betrayal. When Edo sees that Antonio has copied the recipe for oucha (soup of Russian fish) that only his mother knew, the betrayal will be clear.
Edoardo Gabbriellini - Antonio Biscaglia
In 2007, he asked me to read the screenplay of I AM LOVE, as if he were asking a friend for advice. Then, a little later, while we were talking about the character of the chef, he said to me, ''Too bad you're not a star. If you were, I would have chosen you.'' He probably already then saw Antonio in me in some way.
This film immediately presented itself as a fatal attraction: the opportunity to work beside a superstar like Tilda, and the possibility of training with Carlo Cracco, one of the best chefs in the world for one month. It is not every day that a character is prepared this way. I would get to know a world that I never would have gone near otherwise. I thought: ''I'll kill two birds with one stone. I'll make a movie and learn to cook.''
Alba Rohrwacher - Elisabetta Recchi
Working with Tilda and Marisa Berenson surprised me because notwithstanding their talent and their experience on the screen, their humanity prevailed. I was fascinated by how they worked. Tilda is a significant actress and point of reference for me. Marisa Berenson is an icon, with her manner, her background, and her film experience. She is perfect to speak about the past that the social class represented in the film is anchored to. Pippo is extraordinary in the way in which he seals himself up in his role doing the opposite of everything he does in the theatre, where he frees himself from every convention in every performance.
I AM LOVE is an original film. I have never been so curious to see a film as a viewer after making it. Because, as an actress, I feel as though I am actually part of a beautiful project, but it almost scares me. A story that is definitely not conventional for Italy. A style that is absolutely unexpected. A film where the creative force can be felt. I felt it every day when it was being shot: Luca is a director that always knows how to take distance from the script. The script is present, but on the set something new takes place. The attention to details is absolute. And necessary.
Pippo Delbono - Tancredi Recchi
This is a film that speaks about our country and it does so not only by entertaining but by addressing political matters. It is true that Italy has undergone profound changes these last years, but the upper-middle class of Northern Italy, which is represented in the film, is very, very old. It has a code of honor that is practically unchangeable. I, Tancredi, perhaps am the worst of all: my father still has values, he believes in his mission, he thinks nobility, only his mask is left.
- A CONVERSATION WITH THE CAST
Tilda Swinton - Emma Recchi
The film is about a woman, named Emma, aged between 40 and 50, who don't generate wealth or culture. Her husband Tancredi, a rich manufacturer from North Italy, picked her for her beauty, just as he would have chosen a piece of artwork. Emma is a piece of property; she had children and she fulfilled her role and now she finds herself at that point in life when the cage, the prison she has been living in, vividly appears before her eyes with all its explicit drama. Emma comes from a cage, Russia, that she left in the pre-Gorbachev era to have access to the free world. And in the free world, she locked herself up in another cage, the family. And lies.
Life is the great engine of change in human beings. It is the great creator of crises, the catalyst for metamorphoses. Emma falls in love with another outcast. Like her. A passion that is seen as unacceptable by her social class, family and society in general. In this, Emma has many predecessors in cinema and literature, like Emma Bovary, Alida Valli from Senso, and Anna Karenina. She is a giving woman; her love is unconditional. A person who is able to face absolutes, like life, death, and all-absorbing passion and to never give up. She is a pure radical.
All the characters in this film are trapped but in different ways. Tancredi's father, the founding father, the maker of fortune, the maker of the family's status, Gabriele Ferzetti, has reached the point where he has to hand over his power. He makes his choice, because he believes he sees in one of his descendants ''the same look'', but that look isn't there. He doesn't see that that look he is looking for elsewhere, maybe in Elisabetta, the granddaughter, who is insignificant as a woman in battles for possession and power. But she has aspirations and talent for liberty, rebellion. The consciousness of the mother, my character, is raised from that rebellion.
Flavio Parenti - Edoardo Recchi Jr.
We worked on so many levels. We tried to find the right posture for Edo, the right-hand movements, and the details of his elegance in searching for the ''natural formality'' that is typical of the aristocratic class. Luca was very severe with me. His dedication to his work and to his vision pushed him to never lose control over me and to never be satisfied. This dynamically generated friction between us that incredibly benefitted my search for Edo's inner dimension. I still don't know if his behavior towards me was manipulative or unwitting, but I like to think that he always knew what he was doing.
I believe that in I AM LOVE it is possible to speak of styling: it seems to me that the director's taste permeated all the departments, creating one sole taste that suits Edo very well.
As far as Edo is concerned, Antonio's cooking will be the sword that pierces his heart. Antonio's cooking will steal the mother's love. Antonio's cooking will show them betrayal. When Edo sees that Antonio has copied the recipe for oucha (soup of Russian fish) that only his mother knew, the betrayal will be clear.
Edoardo Gabbriellini - Antonio Biscaglia
In 2007, he asked me to read the screenplay of I AM LOVE, as if he were asking a friend for advice. Then, a little later, while we were talking about the character of the chef, he said to me, ''Too bad you're not a star. If you were, I would have chosen you.'' He probably already then saw Antonio in me in some way.
This film immediately presented itself as a fatal attraction: the opportunity to work beside a superstar like Tilda, and the possibility of training with Carlo Cracco, one of the best chefs in the world for one month. It is not every day that a character is prepared this way. I would get to know a world that I never would have gone near otherwise. I thought: ''I'll kill two birds with one stone. I'll make a movie and learn to cook.''
Alba Rohrwacher - Elisabetta Recchi
Working with Tilda and Marisa Berenson surprised me because notwithstanding their talent and their experience on the screen, their humanity prevailed. I was fascinated by how they worked. Tilda is a significant actress and point of reference for me. Marisa Berenson is an icon, with her manner, her background, and her film experience. She is perfect to speak about the past that the social class represented in the film is anchored to. Pippo is extraordinary in the way in which he seals himself up in his role doing the opposite of everything he does in the theatre, where he frees himself from every convention in every performance.
I AM LOVE is an original film. I have never been so curious to see a film as a viewer after making it. Because, as an actress, I feel as though I am actually part of a beautiful project, but it almost scares me. A story that is definitely not conventional for Italy. A style that is absolutely unexpected. A film where the creative force can be felt. I felt it every day when it was being shot: Luca is a director that always knows how to take distance from the script. The script is present, but on the set something new takes place. The attention to details is absolute. And necessary.
Pippo Delbono - Tancredi Recchi
This is a film that speaks about our country and it does so not only by entertaining but by addressing political matters. It is true that Italy has undergone profound changes these last years, but the upper-middle class of Northern Italy, which is represented in the film, is very, very old. It has a code of honor that is practically unchangeable. I, Tancredi, perhaps am the worst of all: my father still has values, he believes in his mission, he thinks nobility, only his mask is left.
Italy today is dealing with racism, non-spirituality and the absence of ethics, as never before. The social categories exist and will always exist. Communism failed just like Catholicism failed. Only extreme contrasts are left: rich/poor, exploited/exploiters, damned/saved. In this film, love lends itself as a revolutionary force. And it destroys the capital. Extraordinary!
Mattia Zaccaro - Gianluca Recchi
I believe it's complex to find only one denominator in the methodology that Luca used to give form to Gianluca Recchi in me. Luca is unfamiliar - or rather all too familiar with doing things halfway. In my opinion, thanks to his disarming sincerity, he was able to justify the differences in different relationships with the actors and actresses, without hiding behind the hypocritical assertion that everyone always needs the same identical treatment. His best quality, however, seems to be his ability to establish a balance of strengths, made up of constant and powerful imbalances.
Mattia Zaccaro - Gianluca Recchi
I believe it's complex to find only one denominator in the methodology that Luca used to give form to Gianluca Recchi in me. Luca is unfamiliar - or rather all too familiar with doing things halfway. In my opinion, thanks to his disarming sincerity, he was able to justify the differences in different relationships with the actors and actresses, without hiding behind the hypocritical assertion that everyone always needs the same identical treatment. His best quality, however, seems to be his ability to establish a balance of strengths, made up of constant and powerful imbalances.
I Am Love Movie Details 🎥
Directed by
Luca Guadagnino
Writing Credits
Luca Guadagnino, Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo and Walter Fasano (Screenplay)
Luca Guadagnino (Story)
Starring
Tilda Swinton
Flavio Parenti
Edoardo Gabbriellini
Alba Rohrwacher
Pippo Delbono
Maria Paiato
Diane Fleri
Waris Ahluwalia
Mattia Zaccaro
Gabriele Ferzetti
Marisa Berenson
Giangaleazzo Visconti di Modrone
Gaia Chaillet Giusti
Laura Huston
Music by
John Adams
Cinematography by
Yorick Le Saux
Categories: Oscars, Oscar Academy Award Nominee, Golden Globes, Golden Globe Nominee, EEBAFTAs, BAFTA Award Nominee
Genres: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
I Am Love Official Trailer
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