An enjoyable movie despite or maybe even because of its odd story line.
Lorenzo, 14 years old, is not willing to play his role according to the outside world expectations, which are quite in mismatch to his own interests and phantasies. He only pretends to join the school ski trip to the Italian Alps to comfort his mother but instead he plans to spend the whole week in the basement of the condominium in Rome where he lives. There he wants to do his thing, which is reading books, listening to music and observing an ant colony.
No sooner said than done. Everything seems to work out fine if it was not for his 10 years older half sister Olivia who pops up surprisingly. She is looking in the basement for something valuable in her old belongings and needs a place to sleep over. Only reluctantly, Lorenzo opens up his shelter to her only to find out that she is a junkie on detoxification.
This is the beginning of a great intimate play between the two half siblings, who hardly know each other. Their conversations in the semi-darkness feel very close to reality and it is quite enjoyable to watch how they slowly start to appreciate each other while arguing and going through some hardships. In confrontation the two outsiders manage to be supportive by holding up a mirror to each other. It must be credited to the acting performances of the two main protagonists that this comes across so convincingly.
A certain erotic tension and a good soundtrack also add up to the quality of Bertolucci's late work. Have you ever wanted to listen to the Italian version of Bowie's Space Oddity? No? Here you can fulfill a desire you have never had ;). It is still worthwhile.
The end of the movie is quite unpretentious. After the week of the school ski trip has elapsed Lorenzo and Olivia leave their chosen prison and say good bye to each other on the street. Will they stick to the promises they have given each other? The film proposes that doubts are justified.
Lorenzo, 14 years old, is not willing to play his role according to the outside world expectations, which are quite in mismatch to his own interests and phantasies. He only pretends to join the school ski trip to the Italian Alps to comfort his mother but instead he plans to spend the whole week in the basement of the condominium in Rome where he lives. There he wants to do his thing, which is reading books, listening to music and observing an ant colony.
No sooner said than done. Everything seems to work out fine if it was not for his 10 years older half sister Olivia who pops up surprisingly. She is looking in the basement for something valuable in her old belongings and needs a place to sleep over. Only reluctantly, Lorenzo opens up his shelter to her only to find out that she is a junkie on detoxification.
This is the beginning of a great intimate play between the two half siblings, who hardly know each other. Their conversations in the semi-darkness feel very close to reality and it is quite enjoyable to watch how they slowly start to appreciate each other while arguing and going through some hardships. In confrontation the two outsiders manage to be supportive by holding up a mirror to each other. It must be credited to the acting performances of the two main protagonists that this comes across so convincingly.
A certain erotic tension and a good soundtrack also add up to the quality of Bertolucci's late work. Have you ever wanted to listen to the Italian version of Bowie's Space Oddity? No? Here you can fulfill a desire you have never had ;). It is still worthwhile.
The end of the movie is quite unpretentious. After the week of the school ski trip has elapsed Lorenzo and Olivia leave their chosen prison and say good bye to each other on the street. Will they stick to the promises they have given each other? The film proposes that doubts are justified.