By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Starring: Alba Rohrwacher | Isabelle Huppert | Maya Sansa | Michele Riondino | Toni Servillo
Original language title: Bella Addormentata
Country: france, italy
Year: 2013
Running time: 115
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2184227/combined
Bruce says: “It is impossible to sit through DORMANT BEAUTY and not think about TALK TO HER, Pedro Almodóvar’s brilliant film about the events surrounding two women in comas. While DORMANT BEAUTY also has a similar pair – one on screen and one off screen – it focuses more on the complicated issues of life support and the multiplicity of emotions and behaviors accompanying those issues. A woman named Eluana has become subject of a national controversy. Should she be unplugged and
left to have nature take its course? What is God’s will? Can lawmakers convene in time to change the rules?
“Uliano Beffardi (Toni Servillo) is one of the Senators who may decide Eluana’s fate. His daughter Maria (Alba Rohrwacher) is marching in the streets to protest against unplugging Eluana. The viewer knows what Maria does not: her father took her mother off life support. As a non-believer, Uliano would be instantly identified as a culprit by anyone hearing of this story. At the core of the issue was a paradox. It was his devout wife who wanted to die while Uliano, the atheist, would have done anything to keep her alive.
“Two additional stories are interwoven with the stories of Uliano and Maria. Rossa (Maya Sansa), a drug addict, is removed from the streets, sedated and hospitalized. She is suicidal and wants desperately to die. A doctor at the hospital (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) becomes obsessed with Rossa and voluntarily begins a suicide watch to prevent what he perceives as tragedy. Divina Madre (Isabelle Huppert) is a leading stage actress of her time but has abandoned her career to keep vigil over her daughter Rosa who lies in coma in the family palazzo. Her son (Brenno Placido) and husband (Fabrizio Falco) have been abandoned as well and their presence is now more of an annoyance than comfort. When we first see Ms. Huppert the film has almost reached the halfway mark and she is pacing ferociously with a pack of nuns who are chanting for Rosa. That, unfortunately, is the best moment in this vignette.
“Maria, while demonstrating in the streets with her friends, meets Roberto. They are instantly attracted to one another. Roberto is with his erratically behaving brother who gets arrested. Their wealth mother comes to bail him out; meanwhile, Maria and Roberto are beginning a love affair.
“If all of this sounds confusing, it’s because too many stories are going on at once. The overly dramatic editing creates additional, unnecessary frenzy for a group of stories that require the opposite. Director Bellocchio had similar problems with his VINCERE. On the positive side, the film is splendidly cast and much of the acting is superb. Particularly outstanding are Alba Rohrwacher (QUIET CHAOS; I AM LOVE and Toni Servillo (IT WAS THE SON; GOMORRAH; THE GIRL BY THE LAKE). The presence of the church is strong in this film but not in an influential way. As one character secularly points out, ‘Suffering doesn’t ennoble man, it humiliates him.’ 2.5 cats
“(DORMANT BEAUTY screened at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival.)”