Reviews

While this movie has some good moments, I found both the plot and the pace of the movie uneven to the point where I was not engaged in the movie for most of the time. The lead actor is talented, so talented and so convincing as the sweet, lonely, and socially awkward 35 year-old he plays - at points in the movie - you feel bored of him and tired of his introversion and immersion in ancient poetry. The leading lady, while beautiful, does not deliver a convincing performance. That role required an actor with a broader range and she falls flat. There are, however, scenes that made me laugh aloud and all of them featured the legendary Giancarlo Giannini.

An excellent movie in two parts that was made for Italian TV. A fantastic production for a TV movie. After I watched part one, which is about 90 minutes, I could hardly wait to see the second part but I had to wait a week b/c it was being shown at the Italian Cultural Institute. It was worth it. Great acting by a talented cast, in particular the two main actors, Kim Rossi Stuart and Dino Abbrescia gave memorable performances. Also Valeria Melillo is perfectly understated in her role as Rossi Stuart's wife. Say what you will about Italian TV in general, this movie and all the episodes of Commissario Montalbano (if you haven't seen this series, check it out, it's fantastic) prove that Italian TV can surpass even big budget American TV productions in terms of quality of acting, editing, and direction. Soavi must be a great director to generate and sustain the edge of this movie for 3 hours. Worth seeing!