As "L'Immensita" (2022 release from Italy; 99 min.) opens, we are introduced to Clara, an unhappily married housewife with her 3 children. They are prepping dinner, awaiting the arrival of Clara's husband. In a parallel story, Clara's oldest is 12 yo. Andrea, a girl who wishes she was a boy. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from Italian director Emanuele Crialese. Here he assesses the sad state of affairs in a hapless marriage, while along the way also examining the difficulties encountered by a girl-wanna-be-boy. It all makes for some curious viewing. What strikes is how carefully coordinated the movie is to reflect its 1970s setting, none more so that the presence of the hit single by Adriano Celentano with the impossible to pronounce title. The single's video is carefully restaged by the cast in a fantasy sequence. Thankfully there is Penelope Cruz, as Clara. It immediately strikes how she resembles Sophia Loren in the way her hair is styled and her makeup is done. Frankly, Cruz's performance is the small saving grace of this film, as otherwise the movie's overall feeling is quite bleak.
"L'immensita" premiered at the 2022 Venice film festival to general good acclaim. It is currently rated 83% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, where I caught it the other night. I myself am not quite so keen on this film than the Rotten Tomatoes would suggest. Of course I encourage you to check it out for yourself, and draw your own conclusion.
