This is like those old slasher movies, where teenagers who engage in lustful sin are going to pay big-time before the end. Except that the transgressor in this case is a rich matron who falls in love with her sensitive son's best friend who sort of I guess falls in love with her too. At least they get it on in all sorts of places, including al fresco amongst a lot of bugs that rate many close-ups. Why Tilda Swinton's "Emma" would appeal to a young handsome Italian boy I couldn't grasp, but I am supportive of cougar fantasies so we'll let that quibble slide. There is a large subplot involving food, both the lovers love to cook you see, and some of it looks good enough to eat. They unfortunately make a huge stupid mistake involving the soup course that sets off a ridiculous tragic turn of events, leading to "Emma" getting "slashed" by being shown the door, expelled from all that wealth and luxury as it were, and where she goes, one may only guess. But it is hinted that not only has she gotten in touch with her inner cougar, but also her inner lesbian, and considering that she is, after all, Love, we all hope she lands on her feet somewhere less opulent but just as sexy.
Perhaps some of the subtleties of this film escaped me, buried under the overly lush swelling score that tried so hard to make dramatic points. There is one point that I took to heart, involving a smarmy cultured Indian-American power broker helping the rich industrialist family move into the 21st century with their textile mill. He hints that even though they sell out to the multi-nationalists, they can still be part of and profit from the global war machine, becoming even richer. This seems to emphasize that "Emma" is much better off making love on the hillside than further luxuriating in such capitalistic decadence.
So whether she ran off and was received rapturously by Antonio was not really an issue for me. The one big question I did come away with, which I would ask some Italian viewer if I cared enough to post a message, is: Did Tilda Swinton speak Italian with a Russian accent? If so, man, what a performance.
Perhaps some of the subtleties of this film escaped me, buried under the overly lush swelling score that tried so hard to make dramatic points. There is one point that I took to heart, involving a smarmy cultured Indian-American power broker helping the rich industrialist family move into the 21st century with their textile mill. He hints that even though they sell out to the multi-nationalists, they can still be part of and profit from the global war machine, becoming even richer. This seems to emphasize that "Emma" is much better off making love on the hillside than further luxuriating in such capitalistic decadence.
So whether she ran off and was received rapturously by Antonio was not really an issue for me. The one big question I did come away with, which I would ask some Italian viewer if I cared enough to post a message, is: Did Tilda Swinton speak Italian with a Russian accent? If so, man, what a performance.