Open window to the soul

By Charles Mitchell

So much cinema in recent years has been dedicated to the holocaust that it seemed that every angle of the World War II tragedy had been explored, Ferzan Ozpetek’s .Facing Windows delves into the subject again even though it glosses over it like Windex against a transparent surface.

The movie is more about forlorn love, regret and voyeurism than it is about fascist oppression. A married woman (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) wonders where the passion in her life has gone now that she has children and a husband that has problems holding down a job. During her quiet times spent smoking and washing dishes she glances out of her kitchen window and sees the dark smoldering neighbor across the street. She can’t help but imagine what it would be like to have him hold her, kiss her and infuse her life with the excitement and danger that have become just fleeting memories.

When an old man with amnesia wanders into her family’s life it’s the stranger across the street who helps her unravel the mysteries of the old timer’s past. While they try to trace the history of the man’s lost love and piece together his identity, the young pair grow closer. The motion picture works because Lorenzo (Raoul Bova) and Giovanna, are so great at evoking chemistry that we forget that these two have known each other for maybe two or three days. The mystery of the old man (Massimo Girotti), and the lover he lost is fascinating to watch unfold. However, I would have like to have seen some real intimate moments between the two during the wonderfully edited flashbacks. Also, the beauty of the protagonists is almost distracting.

Nevertheless, the flick effortlessly juxtaposes the developing relationship with the one from the past. And by at least acknowledging that the love that dared not speak its name existed before Stonewall, Facing Windows in this instance, dared to face the music.

Raoul Bova and Giovanna Mezzogiorno evoke wonderful chemistry in Facing Windows

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