"Italian for Beginners" is an odd comedy. The characters are mostly inexpressive, their joy and their despair equally muted - well, maybe the despair isn't because most of the movie seems soaked in a fatalism that would mortally wound the film if it wasn't for a tension that keeps the viewer involved with the characters. I wondered, as I watched, if this is a good example of Danish comedy. But in the end, it didn't matter because I found the characters sympathetic, their situations worth caring about, and the resolution of the various plotlines quite satisfactory. I was moved without feeling manipulated. This film has a Dogme 95 certificate, which says all that needs to be said regarding technical issues.
Review of Italian for Beginners
