Not quite 'Love'

Form and function are elements that must be balanced in any form of art.

The architect Frank Lloyd Wright was a firm believer in the harmony of the two. One of his most famous buildings, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, marries form and function as its spiraling shape makes it suited to retrospective art exhibitions. When either element is compromised, however, the end result feels wrong.

Such is the case with director Luca Guadagnino's I Am Love, as the film is overwhelmingly heavy on style rather than substance.

I Am Love's storyline is often sacrificed in the name of artistic videography. Guadagnino (Melissa P.) seems utterly consumed by the need to get the right shot, the right angle, the right transitions. The end result is a rather erratic and frustrating film that almost overlooks the story in favor of more visual pursuits.

I Am Love somewhat bizarrely stars actress Tilda Swinton (The Limits of Control) and centers on the Recchi family, who live in Milan, Italy. The Recchis are extremely wealthy and own a textile business. Everything about the family — from its gigantic house to the family members themselves — is beautiful. However, the film reveals several flaws in the family and its business. Swinton's character's obvious lack of Italian heritage is feebly explained by her being from Russia.

Most of the movie's plot revolves around the passionate and scandalous affair — and its after-effects — between Swinton's character Emma and Antonio (Edoardo Gabriellini, Tutta La Vita Davanti), a chef hired by Emma's son to cater a few Recchi parties. 

There are many dramatic moments in the film, and with his erratic filming style, Guadagnino tends to milk them for all they are worth. It would have been nice to enjoy the drama without constant shot changes and close-ups. After a while, his technique almost borders on irritating. This was especially apparent in the outdoor sex scene with Emma and Antonio, where rather graphic close-up shots are interspersed with over-literal macro shots of insects pollinating flowers.

But Guadagnino does not do a terrible job. He is just more concerned with how the film looks than with anything else.

The Recchi house — where most of the movie takes place — is a gorgeous Italian villa that one would never see the likes of stateside. There are moments in which the director's artistic perspective is valid.

In a scene where Emma eats a meal prepared by the sensitive culinary hand of Antonio, the room goes dark except for a spotlight on Emma eating, and the chattering customers are muted. In this way, Guadagnino shows — instead of tells — how utterly impeccable Antonio's talent for cooking is. Nevertheless, Guadagnino's overzealous fixation on stylistic filming goes overboard most of the time.

I Am Love is a film heavy on visual impressions, making great use of the beautiful Italian countryside. However, like the aesthetically appealing characters in it, the movie itself is mostly just beautiful in outward appearances. The film fails to make much of an impression past the surface level. 

RATING: 2.5 stars out of 5

wildman@umdbk.com