Told in the span of 13 years from 2006 to 2019, the film explores the dynamic between three tennis players as they engage into a love triangle that would play into their personal and professional lives. The film is an unconventional genre-bending film where it plays into the intensity of the game of tennis and how the game also play into the lives of these three people who love the game. Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay is told in a non-linear narrative where it shifts back and forth from this challengers’ match between two once-close friends in Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) who were once partners and won the boys’ junior doubles title at the U.S. Open in 2006 is where they would meet the tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). The narrative takes place in 2019 where Donaldson has become a major star but has returned from injury and is on a losing streak with Tashi as both his wife and coach as she books him as a wild card for a Challenger event in New Rochelle, New York. Also, at New Rochelle there is Zweig whose career has fallen into hard times as he lives in his car and enters tournaments for money as he also takes part in the event.
Kuritzkes’ script explore the dynamic of the three where Tashi and Donaldson would both go to Stanford University in continuing their career in college with the former being slated to go pro until an injury threatened her career. Around that time, Tashi was dating Zweig who got her number after a game that Donaldson and Zweig played the year before. Yet, part of the reason into why Zweig and Tashi’s relationship had issues is due to the former’s immaturity and the latter’s own desire to be great in the game of tennis. After a few years in which Tashi and Donaldson reconnect with the latter asking the former to coach him, she finds a new lease on life, yet the presence of Zweig still looms. It all would be inter-cut with these images from what is happening at New Rochelle where there is a lot at stake in this match between Zweig and Donaldson for both.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is stylish in the way he presents the game but also the period of 13 years in the life of these three people. Shot on location in Boston and areas near the city including some of its tennis stadiums, Guadagnino creates a world where these characters are driven by a game that requires a lot of skill, timing, strength, and mental capabilities. Guadagnino’s usage of wide and medium shots play into the length of a tennis court and the places the characters go to with the latter also appearing for intimate scenes involving the protagonists as they interact with one another. Most notably a scene in 2006 where Zweig, Donaldson, and Tashi are all talking and later engage into a threesome that highlights a lot of emotions that occur as it would also mark a change in the relationship between Zweig and Donaldson who knew each other in boarding school since they were 12. Guadagnino’s compositions do play into sexual tension among all three protagonists as well as this sense of competition that does play like a mental tennis match.
Guadagnino also create some unique set pieces such as a meeting late in the film between Zweig and Tashi on a late and windy night that plays into a lot of the emotional chaos that is happening. Even as it leads to this match that Zweig and Donaldson are to play where the match itself has Guadagnino create some unique compositions. Notably in a point-of-view shot from their perspective as they hit the ball with their rackets as well as other stylish shots that only adds to the intensity of the game. Guadagnino also plays into Tashi’s perspective as she is seen sitting in the middle where she would look at one of the men at times and sometimes at the middle. The final set for the match point is where everything comes into play as it is about the game and who wants to win it. Overall, Guadagnino crafts an exhilarating and riveting film about a love triangle between three players that come to ahead at a Challenger tennis tournament match.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does amazing work with the film’s cinematography in the way many of the daytime exterior scenes are shot as well as the scenes set at night including some of the interior scenes in the hotel suites that Tashi and Donaldson stay at. Editor Marco Costa does brilliant work with the editing where it has a lot of style in its rhythmic cutting and jump-cuts to play into the intensity of the tennis game as well as in the dramatic moments as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Merissa Lombardo, along with set decorator Jess Royal plus art directors Paul Alix, Jasmine Cho, and Matthew Gatlin, does excellent work with the look of the hotel rooms and hotel suites the characters stay in as well as a few places at the tennis club where the Challengers game happens. Costume designer J.W. Anderson does fantastic work with the costumes where some of it is stylish in some of the posh clothing that Tashi would wear as well as the clothes the men wear in the different years of their lives.
Hair designer Massimo Gattabrusi and makeup designer Fernanda Perez, along with prosthetics designer Howard Berger, do nice work with the look of the characters in the youthful and shaggy look of Donaldson early in the film that would later become Zweig’s look later along with the hairstyles that Tashi would have as she gets older. Special effects supervisor John Ruggeri, along with visual effects supervisors Brian Drewes, Harut Harutyunyan, and Riza Patel, does terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to some of the tennis scenes including the climatic game in the film. Sound designer Paul Carter and sound editor Craig Berkey do superb work with the sound in how a ball sounds when it hits a tennis racket as well as the atmosphere of a tennis stadium where is a lot of detail that is captured in the sound.
The film’s music by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross is phenomenal for its pulsating and hypnotic electronic-based score that include themes that play into the characters as well as the games that occur in the film while music supervisor Robin Urdang compiles a music soundtrack that features music from Nelly, David Bowie, Spoon, Fine Young Cannibals, Devonte Hynes, Lily Allen, Blu Cantrell, Bruce Springsteen, Benjamin Britten, Patty Pravo, Caetano Veloso, Extreme Music, and some classical pieces that add to drama in the film.
The casting by Francine Maisler is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Burgess Byrd as a USTA official who was also a line judge at earlier Zweig/Donaldson match, Nada Despototvich as Tashi’s mother who often watches her granddaughter, Naheem Garcia as Tashi’s father in the 2006 scenes, Darnell Appling as the umpire for the Challengers game between Zweig & Donaldson, A.J. Lister as Tashi and Donaldson’s daughter Lily, and Hailey Gates as a blind date that Zweig meets in New Rochelle at the hotel where Tashi and Donaldson were staying at. Mike Faist is marvelous as Art Donaldson as a reserved young man who would be more of a friend to Tashi and later her husband where he deals with recovering from his own injury and a losing streak where he becomes unsure if he wants to continue.
Josh O’Connor is remarkable as Patrick Zweig as the more arrogant of the two men as he is skilled in the game, but he is also immature when it comes to emotions where he would deal with living in his car and barely making money while also having feelings for Tashi. Finally, there is Zendaya in a tremendous performance as Tashi Duncan as a former tennis prodigy turned coach who has a love for the game as well as a better understanding of it in terms of chemistry, emotion, and strategy. Zendaya’s performance is also filled with a lot of grit as well as a sensuality that makes her appealing for the men to be entranced to as she also has amazing chemistry with both O’Connor and Faist as it is one of her finest performances to date.
Challengers is a sensational film by Luca Guadagnino that features great performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. Along with Justin Kuritzkes’ compelling script, gorgeous visuals, its mixture of sports and drama, and a phenomenal music score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The film is a fascinating and ravishing film that is both a unique study of the sport of tennis as well as the people who play the game as they are caught in a chaotic love triangle. In the end, Challengers is a spectacular film by Luca Guadagnino.
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Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) – I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones and All - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2025
Set in the 1980s, the film revolves around a young woman who has cannibalistic urges as she travels from Maryland to Minnesota to find out about her mother where she meets a young man who is also revealed to be a cannibal as they go on the road to be away from their urges. It is a film that play into these two young people who both have this hunger to eat people but ponder if they’re the only ones while meeting others along the way as they realize they’re not alone but also live very complicated lives. David Kajganich’s screenplay largely follows Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell) who lives with her father Frank (Andre Holland) as he would lock her in her room until she sneaked out to attend a sleepover with some school friends where something bad happened as she and Frank flee their home in Virginia and relocate to Maryland where Frank has abandoned her though he left her some money, her birth certificate, and a tape recording explaining why he left and aspects about who she is. Upon seeing her birth certificate and the identity of her mother, she decides to travel to Minnesota to find her.
The first act is about Maren’s life and the constant need to relocate as she decides to go to Minnesota despite the little money she has as she would make a stop at Columbus, Ohio where she meets an old man named Sully (Mark Rylance) who is revealed to be a cannibal with some eccentric views as well as what he does to those he eats. It is a key moment in the first act that play into Maren identifying other cannibals through her smell as it is how she meets Lee (Timothee Chalamet) as they both go on the road after Lee kills a man for verbally abusing a woman at a market. The second act is about the two going on the road where they meet a couple of cannibals in Jake (Michael Stuhlbarg) and Brad (David Gordon Green) as the latter was not born a cannibal but chose to become one while the former has a unique view on cannibalism as well as what he likes to do that makes both Maren and Lee uncomfortable. Even as it play into the former searching for her mother and weather she’s alive or not as it leads to all sorts of questions for herself but also for Lee who would briefly return home as the third act is about them dealing with their hunger as well as the people they kill.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is mesmerizing for not just capturing Middle America in its most rural and open spaces but also in blending many genres in a film that is romantic but also scary in its approach to horror. Shot on various locations in Ohio, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Michigan, Guadagnino creates a film that does feel like a road movie since it starts off at a small town in Virginia where Maren is playing piano at a school where she meets with a classmate in Sherry (Kendle Coffey) who asks her to be at her sleepover. Guadagnino’s usage of the wide shots add a lot of depth of field into the locations including the scenes in Nebraska during the third act as it play into this crossroads that both Lee and Maren are dealing with. Still, Guadagnino does maintain some intimacy in the way he has characters interact with one another with some unique close-ups including a major moment in the film’s second act where Maren meets an old woman in Barbara Kerns (Jessica Harper) who would provide Maren some answers but with great reluctance.
Guadagnino’s presentation to the idea of cannibalism is terrifying such as the moment in the sleepover as it is shocking but the image of Maren and Sully eating an old woman who just died as blood is all over both of them is really terrifying though it’s the aftermath that makes it more discomforting. Notably when Lee and Maren meet Jake and Brad at a park near a watering hole as they all drink beer is when things are scary. It is a moment in the second that sets the tone for the struggles that Lee and Maren have as well as going into extremes as a cannibal where Lee would do something involving a carnival worker named Lance (Jake Horowitz) where it would raise questions into who they are and what are they doing. The film’s third isn’t just about Maren’s encounter with someone at a mental hospital who doesn’t just provide answers about who Maren is but also why her father never told her about her mother. It also leads to a second encounter with Sully that is way more discomforting as it play into the dangers of cannibalism that has Maren wanting to lead a normal life with Lee in the hopes that they won’t hurt anyone ever again. Overall, Guadagnino crafts a haunting yet evocative about cannibal lovers going on the road through America while trying to get of their hunger for human flesh.
Cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the naturalistic exteriors as well as the scenes at night with its emphasis on low-key lighting as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Marco Costa does excellent work with the editing as it has a few jump-cuts and some stylish cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Elliott Hostetter, along with art director Victoria Resendez plus set decorators Merissa Lombardo and Rebecca Steele, does brilliant work with the look of the house Sully stayed in as well as some of the places Lee and Maren go to including the home of a man Lee killed that is filled with a lot of records. Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does fantastic work with the costumes as it plays into a more casual look including the torn-up jeans that Lee wears along with some of the weirder clothes that Sully wears.
Makeup designer Mark Garbarino and hair designer Massimo Gattabrusi do terrific work with the look of the characters from the colorful look of Lee as well as the look of Sully with his long hair and collection of hair that he has. Visual effects supervisors Virginia Cefaly, Alessio Bertotti, and Filippo Robino do nice work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects that include one major scene involving a character. The sound work of Michele Gualdrini, Geoff Maxwell, and Jim Morgan is superb for its sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sound of bones crunching to add to the element of horror. The film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is phenomenal with its mixture of folk-based instrumentation with guitars by George Doering as it also has elements of ambient and classical bits as the score is among the highlights of the film while music supervisor Robin Urdang assembles a soundtrack that features an original song by Reznor and Ross with Mariqueen Maandig Reznor as well as contributions from Duran Duran, Joy Division, New Order, George Strait, Kiss, and other music ranging from country and pop from the 1980s.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Kendle Coffey as a schoolmate of Maren in Sherry, Sean Bridgers as a man harassing a mother and her kids at a grocery store, Burgess Byrd as a nurse at a mental hospital, Max Solis as a mechanic late in the film in Nebraska, Anna Cobb as Lee’s younger sister Kayla who doesn’t know about Lee’s condition as she is a reason for why Lee is protective of her, Jake Horowitz as a carnival worker that Lee meets as a target where things go wrong, and Jessica Harper in a terrific one-scene performance as an old woman who gives Maren some answers about her mother. Chloe Sevigny is fantastic in her one-scene role as a woman Maren meets at a mental hospital who had eaten her own hands as she would provide Maren some answers through a letter. Andre Holland is excellent as Maren’s father Frank as a man who often worries about his daughter’s condition and the danger she brings where he would leave only to leave her a recorded tape message that allows her to figure things out for herself.
David Gordon Green is superb in his small role as Brad as a friend of Jake who had discovered the world of cannibalism and has embraced the lifestyle while Michael Stuhlbarg is amazing as Jake who is a born cannibal that has some very intriguing views as well as what he does with those he eats as it is a chilling performance. Mark Rylance is incredible as Sully as this old man who has a strong sense of smell as he teaches Maren about how to track other cannibals while is also someone who is extremely creepy in his methods and how he tracks other cannibals. Timothee Chalamet is phenomenal as Lee as a young cannibal who is often on the road as he accompanies Maren in her journey while he kills those who feel are terrible though he would eventually question his own methods while also reveal more about himself. Finally, there’s Taylor Russell in a tremendous performance as Maren Yearly as an 18-year old woman who is just trying to understand more about herself as she goes on the road while dealing with her hunger and such as Russell showcases a lot of angst, confusion, and depth into her performance as it is a true breakout performance for the young actress.
Bones and All is a magnificent film from Luca Guadagnino that features great performances from Taylor Russell, Timothee Chalamet, and Mark Rylance. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, blend of genres, gorgeous locations, ravishing visuals, and an intoxicating music score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It is a film that isn’t afraid to play into the idea of cannibalism but it is also this riveting love story set in 1980s America where two people deal with themselves and their need to not bring havoc around people. In the end, Bones and All is an outstanding film from Luca Guadagnino.
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Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) – I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2022
While the film is mainly an advertisement of sorts for Valentino’s haute couture line led by its current leader Pier Paolo Piccioli, the film does feature a narrative about a woman dealing with her ailing mother as she travels to Rome to be with her as they also think about the past. It is a film that doesn’t have much of a plot yet it does play into women thinking about their work but also a woman dealing with blindness as she is convinced her days as an artist is over. Yet, there are all of these mysterious things that occurs in the film along with flashbacks of the young woman with her daughter and other friends while they’re tended to a man throughout the film.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is stylish as it is shot on locations in New York City and Rome as it play into these two worlds that its main characters live in. While there are some unique wide and medium shots, Guadagnino does play into this air of intrigue but also isolation that looms throughout the film while the flashbacks are lively in the scenes set in Rome. There is a sense of simplicity for the scenes in New York as well as the moments between mother and daughter in the present scenes in Rome while there are moments that are surreal. Notably as there’s a woman walking around in Valentino designer clothing as the clothes do play a key role in the story leading to its climax. Overall, Guadagnino crafts a rapturous and compelling film about a writer and her ailing artist mother thinking about their art and the next stage of their lives.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key natural lighting for many of the daytime interior scenes as well as the usage of little lighting for some of the exterior scenes in the evening scenes. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few montage cuts in some bits of the film. Production designers Roberta Federico and Olivia Peebles do amazing work with the look of the homes of the woman in New York as well as a place she goes to for a party as well as the home of her mother in Rome. Visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects that play into some of the mystical elements of the film. Sound mixer Valentino Gianni does superb work with the sound as it is largely straightforward to play into the way everything sounds in a room. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto is wonderful for its low-key, piano-based orchestral score that help play into the drama as well as the sense of longing throughout the film while the soundtrack include a couple of pieces by Bruno Lauzi.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature appearances from Sergio Di Nitto as an old boyfriend from the past, Arianna Pesce and Camilla Martellino in their respective versions as the young and teenage version of the protagonist Francesca, Edoardo Gabbriellini as a party host in Patrizio, Alba Rohrwacher as a friend of Francesca in Vera, and Mia Goth as a younger version of Francesca’s mother Sofia. KiKi Layne is excellent in her small role as a mysterious woman Francesca sees as is she a ghost or her neighbor in New York who is dealing with issues of her own. Kyle MacLachlan is brilliant in a trio of roles as a party guest, an old lover of Sofia, and Sofia’s caretaker where MacLachlan brings a lot of different personalities and sensitivity to those roles. Marthe Keller is amazing as the old Sofia as an artist who is going blind as she deals with aging but also isolation and the past as she looks back with sadness. Finally, there’s Julianne Moore in an incredible performance as Francesca as a writer who deals with her own struggles and loneliness where she goes to Rome to help her mother as well as aspects of her own past.
The Staggering Girl is a remarkable film from Luca Guadagnino. Featuring a great cast, amazing costumes, dazzling visuals, and a somber music score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The short is a fascinating way in how to sell fashion design as well as tell a story about two women dealing with loneliness and creative drought. In the end, The Staggering Girl is a marvelous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) – I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2022
The film is the story of an aristocratic family whose lives begin to change through some changing times relating to their textile business while its Russian-born wife falls for her son’s new friend in a chef. It is a film that play into this life of a family in Milan as they deal with their patriarch’s decision to retire and his choices for his successors as they deal with a new business world with his grandson introducing his family to a new friend whom his mother falls in love with. The film’s screenplay isn’t just this exploration of desire for one person but also the desire of a family just trying to find themselves as they embark on a new chapter. Notably as the film opens with a birthday dinner during the Christmas holidays for its patriarch in Edoardo Recchi Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti) who announces his retirement from the textile business where he names his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti) as his successors as the latter brought in his new girlfriend Eva (Diane Fleri) while a man he lost to in a race in Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) is a chef who came late to the party with a present for Edoardo Sr. where he is seen by Edoardo Jr.’s mother Emma (Tilda Swinton).
The film’s first act is about the dinner and Edoardo Jr. wanting to help Antonio create his own restaurant in his home near San Remo while there is family drama where Edoardo Jr.’s sister Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher) goes to London to study as she also has fallen in love with another woman and wanting to break-up with her boyfriend as it was discovered by Emma. The film’s second act that takes place months later where Emma goes to the restaurant run by Antonio’s father with Eva and her mother-in-law in Rori (Marisa Berenson) as Emma eats a plate by Antonio that she loves as she becomes fascinated with him where she later runs into him in San Remo where they begin their affair. The third act doesn’t just play into Emma and Antonio’s affair intensifying but with Edoardo Jr. dealing with the world of business as he becomes overwhelmed with his father’s decision and other things as it lead to some revelations for the family.
Guadagnino’s direction definitely has some stylistic compositions and such yet keeps the film grounded in its exploration of aristocracy in this family. Shot largely on location in Milan as well as San Remo and parts of London for a few scenes in the film’s third act. Guadagnino’s usage of tracking shots for the way characters walk into a room through the Recchi estate as well as close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimate moments in a room as Guadanino also uses wide shots to get a scope of the dining hall or the front lobby at the estate. The film also play into this struggle of tradition with the modern ethics of business as the former is something Edoardo Jr. wants to do as he learned a lot from his grandfather in understanding the business but also the workers so that they can maintain a sense of trust. Edoardo Jr. also wants to help out Antonio knowing how good he is as a chef but also as a way for Edoardo Jr. to make his own mark and prove that he can be a good businessman.
The scenes in the second act that include these sequences of Emma and Antonio longing for one another has this element of fantasy until they actually meet again as Guadagnino use the locations of San Remo as a character as this place that reminds Emma of her old life in Russia where she recounts how she met Tancredi. The film’s third act is about Edoardo Jr.’s resistance on what his father wants to do with the family business as it culminates with this dinner that has Antonio as the cook who creates a special dish that is a favorite of Edoardo Jr. as it leads to some revelations and chaos. Notably as it relates to these ideas of change in the whole family and their lifestyle with Emma also coming to terms with who she is and what she wants. Overall, Guadanino crafts a rapturous and entrancing film about a woman whose affair with a young chef would unknowingly create chaos within the world of her aristocratic family.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does brilliant work with the film’s luscious cinematography with its naturalistic photography from the look of the snowy exterior in the film’s first scenes as well as what Milan looks like on a summer day to the usage of low-key and stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of transitional dissolves, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the drama and this mixture of fantasy and reality. Production designer Francesca di Mottola and set decorator Monica Sironi do amazing work with the look of the Recchi family estate in its many rooms and interiors as well as Antonio’s own home and some of the exteriors at the estate which is actually the Villa Necchi Campiglio that is at the center of Milan. Costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothing that Emma and many of the women in the family wear including some of the casual look of Elisabetta in London as well as some of the designer suits the men wear.
Visual effects supervisor Stefano Marinoni does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it play into a few bits of fantasy including a brief flashback of Emma as a child. Sound editor/mixer Francesco Liotard does superb work with the sound as it does play into natural elements along with a few bits that play into the elements of fantasy. Music supervisor Jen Moss does incredible work in cultivating the music’s soundtrack that largely consists of classical pieces by John Adams that feature some unique orchestral piano bits as well as other lush music pieces while other contributions include a piece from Gustav Mahler as well as original pieces from editor/co-writer Walter Fasano with Nathalie Tanner, Elliot Smith, Tony Esposito, Arto Lindsay, and Marco Armani.
The casting by Jorgelina Depetris Pochintesta and Francesco Vedovati is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Honor Swinton Byrne in a brief bit as Emma as a child, Waris Ahluwalia as an Indian-American businessman who wants to by the Recchi family business, Maria Paiato as the Recchi family’s main housekeeper Ida whom the kids see as a second mother while is also someone very loyal to Emma, Diane Fleri as Edoardo Jr.’s new girlfriend Eva whom much of the family seem to neglect despite Edoardo Jr. and Emma welcoming her, Mattia Zaccaro as the youngest of the Recchi children in Gianluca who doesn’t do much with his family business as he’s still a student, Emanuele Cito Filomarino as Elisabetta’s boyfriend Gregorio whom she dumps for another woman, Marisa Berenson as the Recchi matriarch Allegra aka Rori who loves her lifestyle but also tries to distract herself from some of the chaotic elements of her family, and Gabriele Ferzetti in a superb small role as the Recchi matriarch Edoardo Sr. as an old man who is celebrating his birthday as well as make announcements for his retirement and the people who will succeed him.
Pippo Delbono is excellent as Tancredi Recchi as Edoardo Sr.’s son who is given the chance to succeed his father as he becomes concerned with the future while also having an idea of doing things that he knows his father and son wouldn’t approve. Alba Rohrwacher is fantastic as Elisabetta “Betta” Recchi as Emma’s daughter who is known for her drawing but is switching to photography where she studies in London and falls in love with another woman where she would guide her mother to follow her heart. Edoardo Gabbriellini is amazing as Antonio as a chef whom Edoardo Jr. befriended following a race that wants to create his own restaurant while he falls for Emma unaware of the chaos they create as he is a man that brings an air of simplicity that Emma had forgotten. Flavio Parenti is brilliant as Edoardo Jr. as Emma and Tancredi’s son who is also named as his grandfather’s successor where he tries to instill ideas into the business while wanting to maintain its integrity as he also deals with new things in his life such as a new friend and a new lover but also contends with the ways of a new world that overwhelms him.
Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in a phenomenal performance as Emma Recchi as the Russian-born wife of Tancredi who falls for her son’s new friend as she becomes the centerpiece of this conflict between doing what she feels and doing what she needs to do for her family. It is a performance that has Swinton speaking Italian for the entirety of the film with a bit of Russian as she brings an air of radiance into her performance as someone that is in love with not just Antonio’s cooking but also what he offers in life instead of this aristocratic world that she’s in where she has to play a certain role that doesn’t really allow her to express herself only to find inspiration through two of her children instead of her husband.
Io sono l’amore is a magnificent film from Luca Guadagnino that features a tremendous leading performance from Tilda Swinton. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, luscious locations, its theme of tradition vs. feeling and tradition vs. modernism, and its incredible music soundtrack. It is a film that doesn’t play into the conventions of a romantic drama as it is a study of a woman and her role in an aristocratic family. In the end, Io sono l’amore is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl – (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the 1977 film by Dario Argento that was written by Argento and Daria Nicolodi that partially based on Thomas de Quincey’s essay Suspiria de Profundis (Sighs from the Depths), Suspiria is the story of an American ballet student who travels 1977 West Berlin to enroll at a prestigious dance academy unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by David Kajganich, the film is a homage to Argento’s film while exploring the many mysteries a young woman encounters at this dance academy. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia Goth, Angela Winkler, Ingrid Craven, Sylvie Testud, Fabrizia Sacchi, Malgosia Bela, with special appearances from Jessica Harper, Lutz Ebersdorf, and Tilda Swinton. Suspiria is an enthralling and horrifying film from Luca Guadagnino.
Set in the fall of 1977 in Berlin during one of the city’s most tumultuous events relating to the German Autumn involving the kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns Martin Schyleyer as well as the Lufthansa Flight 181 hijacking. The film is about an American ballet student who is accepted at a prestigious dance school unaware that it’s run by a coven of witches as mysterious disappearances and events occur during the school. While the film is similar to its original film by Dario Argento in 1977, it’s told in a different take as it is set during a moment in time where a generation of young Germans cope with the sins of World War II and the guilt they have over the events of the past. Even as this coven believe they have something that can bring them back to prominence following a period of seclusion following World War II.
David Kajganich’s screenplay is told through six acts plus an epilogue as it explore the life of a dance studio in 1977 Berlin where it’s divided by the Berlin Wall as the studio is set in West Berlin just close to the wall. The main protagonist in Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is a newcomer to the studio as she is revealed to come from a Mennonite community in Ohio where she is dealing with the her ailing mother (Malgosia Bela). Bannion’s arrival comes in at the right moment when a dancer in Patricia Hingle (Chloe Grace Moretz) had left the school mysteriously where lead choreographer Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) takes great notice of Bannion’s gift as a dancer believing she has something special to offer for a special dance piece she wants to direct. While Bannion would adjust to her new living situation and befriend fellow dancer Sara Simms (Mia Goth), she would notice that something is up as would Simms who becomes concerned with another disappearance of a dancer.
Hingle would play a key element to the plot early in the film as she drops off a diary and notes to psychotherapist Dr. Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf) who is dismissive of her claims until he notices that she has disappeared where he believes something isn’t right as he would later turn to Simms for help. During the course of the film, there is a discussion among those who run the school about who should become the coven’s new leader as many prefer the mysterious Mother Markos (Tilda Swinton) instead of Madame Blanc who is concerned with this venture just as many in the coven believe that Bannion is the one to bring the coven back to prominence with Madame Blanc watching closely. Even as the eventual performance would play into everything Madame Blanc has been preparing for, it also has these elements that prove that it’s something much bigger in what is to come for Bannion to discover.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is definitely riveting in terms of the setting, the time period, and the sense of intrigue that is happening in and out of the dance academy along with bits of scenes at Ohio which Bannion would think about from time to time. Shot on various locations in Varese, Italy and parts of Berlin, the film does play into this moment in time where it is chaotic with protests over what is happening in Germany in relation to the events of the times. Guadagnino’s direction would emphasize on stylistic shots that do bear elements of what Dario Argento did with the original film but it’s more restrained in the compositions with an emphasis on the physicality of the dancing. With the aid of choreographer Damien Jalet, the dancing and ballet has an intensity in the movements where it helps tell the story as well as play into something much bigger relating to the world of the witches as well as the mysteries that is happening inside the dance studio. Guadagnino would use wide and medium shots for some of the dancing to get a scope of the performances as well as some terrifying moments in Bannion’s performance in close-ups that would be inter-cut with something else happening that play into what the coven wants.
Guadagnino would also emphasize on atmosphere since the film is set during the autumn and winter of 1977 where there is a more realistic look rather than the more heightened usage of colors that Argento did in the original. Particularly as it help play into the sense of terror that is coming relating to this ceremony where Bannion is at the center of the ceremony unaware of what her role is. There is not just this idea of surrealism but also horror of the most extreme with revelations about a world that proves to be no different from what is happening in 1977 Germany with the political and social turmoil that is happening. Even as it emphasizes this element of guilt of past actions that a future generation has to cope with as well as the idea of motherhood in what one expects to teach a younger generation right from wrong. Overall, Guadagnino crafts an evocative yet visceral film about a young American woman being accepted at a prestigious dance academy run by a mysterious coven of witches in 1977 Berlin.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors and lighting that help play into the eerie tone of the film without being overly stylized as well as using light for the interiors as well as the big dance number in the film. Editor Walter Fasano does amazing work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic and jump-cuts help play into the energy of the dance and suspense as well as in some of the film’s dramatic moments. Production designer Inbal Weinberg, with set decorators Christin Busse and Merissa Lombardo plus art directors Merlin Ortner and Monica Sallustio, does excellent work with the look of the dance studio as well as some of the rooms and secret places including the room of mirrors and the homes of Dr. Klemperer in both East and West Berlin. Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish late 1970s dresses the women wore when they go out to the costume they wear for the dance scene.
Prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier does incredible work with the makeup for some eerie sequences that include elements of the third act in the unveiling of Mother Markos as well as other things including a horrendous scene early in the film. Special effects supervisor Franco Ragusa and visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti do superb work with the special effects that include some of the moments of horror as well as bits of set-dressing in some parts of the film. Sound designer Frank Kruse does marvelous work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations and dance numbers to showcase how sparse the sound of movements are as it is one of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Thom Yorke is phenomenal for its mixture of low-key piano-based orchestral music, ambient, and Krautrock-inspired cuts as it help play into the suspense and drama while music supervisor Robin Urdang provides a soundtrack that features bits of classical music pieces and some of the music that was popular in Germany at the time.
The casting by Stella Savino is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Fred Keleman and Mikael Olsson as a couple of police investigators who try to investigate the academy following claims from Dr. Klemperer, Malgosia Bela as Bannion’s ailing mother, Alek Wek as one of the dance teachers in Miss Millius, Vanda Capriolo as a dancer in Alberta who shows Bannion how to jump high for the dance, Sylvie Testud as the big glasses-wearing yet mysterious Miss Griffith who never says anything, Renee Soutendijk as a teacher in Miss Huller, Ingrid Caven as another teacher who kind of runs the place in Miss Vendegast, and Jessica Harper in a brief yet terrific one-scene cameo as Dr. Klemperer’s wife Anke. Elena Fokina is superb as a Soviet dancer in Olga Ivanova who is despondent over Patricia’s disappearance as she suspects the school staff while Angela Winkler is wonderful as Miss Tanner as a teacher who is Madame Blanc’s most trusted confidant as she knows something doesn’t feel right. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Patricia Hingle as it’s a small yet crucial performance of a dancer who is on the run as she’s made some discoveries about the dance academy.
Mia Goth is excellent as Sara Simms as a dancer who befriends Bannion and becomes her closest confidant while being aware that something isn’t right as it relates to the disappearances where she would help out Dr. Klemperer. Dakota Johnson is brilliant as Susie Bannion as a young American dancer who travels to Berlin from a sheltered environment as she deals with her gifts as a dancer as well as her own sexual awakening through the dance and coping with the mysteries surrounding the academy. Lutz Ebersdorf is amazing as Dr. Josef Klemperer as a psychotherapist still pondering about the whereabouts of his wife as he deals with what Hingle has discovered believing that some form of evil is emerging. Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in an incredible dual performance as Mother Marko and Madame Blanc as she only appears briefly as the former due to its look while provides a straightforward yet maternal approach in the latter as someone who is trying to run a school and do things for the coven while being aware that something is off just as she is becoming concerned for Bannion’s physical and mental state of mind.
Suspiria is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino. Featuring a phenomenal ensemble cast, eerie visuals, Thom Yorke’s intoxicating score, brooding sound design, and a provocative story that touches upon many themes of guilt, identity, and motherhood. It’s a film that is confrontational in its themes but also play into the idea of a world that a young woman is about to venture into that is just as terrifying as the real world that is happening around her. In the end, Suspiria is an outstanding film from Luca Guadagnino.
Related: Suspiria (1977 film) - (Goblin-Suspiria OST) - (Thom Yorke-Suspiria OST)
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me by Your Name - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Andre Aicman, Call Me by Your Name is the story of a teenage boy living in Northern Italy during the early 1980s as he falls for his father’s college graduate assistant leading to a love affair. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by James Ivory, the film is the third part of a thematic trilogy that play into love and desire that began with 2009’s I Am Love and followed by 2015’s A Bigger Splash. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victorie Du Bois, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Call Me by Your Name is a rapturous and mesmerizing film from Luca Guadagnino.
It’s 1983 in Northern Italy as the film revolves around a 17-year old who meets his father’s college graduate assistant as they become attracted towards one another and would eventually lead to a secret romance. It’s a film with a simple story though this air of attraction and intrigue is a slow build as it play into not just confusion but also longing. James Ivory’s screenplay doesn’t just play into the idea of desire and discovery of sexual identity but also acts as a coming-of-age story from the perspective of its protagonist Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet). Elio is a bibliophile who also a music prodigy that likes to transcribe music as he’s living with his parents (Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar) and often spends time with kids his age including a French girl in Marzia (Esther Garrel). When the graduate student Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to assist Mr. Perlman on archeological studies as well as working on a paper of his own for grad school.
At first, Elio isn’t impressed with Oliver who is quite energetic and outgoing in contrast to the more introverted Elio but there is this air of attraction that starts to loom throughout the film. Even as Oliver would show signs that he’s gay but Elio isn’t sure as he does have feelings for Marzia while Oliver would have a relationship with another young Frenchwoman in Chiara (Victoire Du Bois). There is also these moments where Oliver would be away as it adds to this growing sexual tension from Elio until one day where they go to a nearby town as they start to realize their attraction towards one another. Yet, they would have to keep it a secret though some who are close to them have an idea that something is going on as Ivory’s script doesn’t have them say anything while he does put in some incredible dialogue between the characters including a touching monologue from Mr. Perlman late in the film.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is intoxicating for capturing life in Northern Italy during a beautiful summer at a time when there was a sense of change emerging politically and socially at that time. Shot on location at Crema as well as the province of Cremona and nearby villages such as Pandino and Moscazzano, the film does play into a world that is unique and quaint in its setting where everyone spends time going out to the countryside or to the nearby town while they would watch whatever was on Italian TV at the time when they’re home. While much of Guadagnino’s direction emphasizes on intimate compositions whether it’s in a wide shot with a certain location in the background or medium shots and close-ups to play into the growing attraction between Elio and Oliver. Notably in a few sequences that play into a sense of longing such as the scene of Oliver dancing with Elio later joining in with Chiara and Marzia to an upbeat pop song. The attraction also would come to ahead in scenes where they seem to dislike each other but it adds to the sexual tension that is evident.
Guadagnino would also let scenes play out longer than a few minutes just to play into the attraction between Elio and Oliver. Even in the sense of longing from Elio towards Oliver while he tries to fulfill his own sexual desires through Marzia. Still, Guadagnino is aware that homosexuality was still in the taboo stages during that time as well as the fact that there’s a seven-year gap between Elio and Oliver. The third act does play into Elio and Oliver given the chance to be with each other but the latter has to return home to America which adds an air of despair in the aftermath for Elio who would turn to his father whose monologue would play into everything Elio experienced. Overall, Guadagnino crafts a touching and vibrant film about a 17-year old’s sexual awakening and love for his father’s college graduate assistant.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom does brilliant work with the film’s naturalistic and gorgeous cinematography as it play into the sunny look of the daytime exteriors at the Northern Italian countryside and small towns as well as the look of the scenes set at night including a nearby pond where Elio and Marzia would skinny-dip. Editor Walter Fasino does amazing work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, dissolves, and other stylish cuts play into the drama as well as the sense of longing without the need to make any kind of quick cuts. Production designer Samuel Deshors, with art director Roberta Federico plus set decorators Muriel Chinal, Sandro Piccarozzi, and Violante Visconti di Modrone, does fantastic work with the look of the Perlman house in its interiors and exteriors as well as the little details at the town with political posters and the magazines of the times.
Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does nice work with the costumes as it does play into the look of the 1980s without being too stylish as well as maintain something that is casual. Visual effects supervisor Luca Saviotti does terrific work with the visual effects as it play into a couple of sequences that add to the sense of longing and desire from Elio’s perspective. Sound editor Riccardo Cameracanna does superb work with the sound as it play into the natural setting of the locations and at the Perlman’s house without the need to embellish it for dramatic effect. Music supervisor Robin Urdang does incredible work with the film’s soundtrack as it include a few original songs and score pieces from Sufjan Stevens that include some piano-based cuts while the rest of the soundtrack is a mixture of classical music and contemporary pop music of the times ranging from artists and acts like Joe Esposito, Giorgio Moroder, the Psychedelic Furs, F.R. David, Bandolero, Marco Armani, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Loredana Berte, Johann Sebastian Bach, Andre Laplante, Maurice Ravel, and Erik Satie.
The casting by Stella Savino is wonderful as it include some notable small roles from novelist Andre Aicman and Peter Spears as a gay couple who are friends of the Perlmans, Elena Bucci and Marco Sgrosso as a couple of art historians who argue with each during a lunch at the Perlmans’ home, Antonio Rimoldi as the Perlman’s repairman/fisherman Anchise, and Vanda Capriolo as the family maid Mafalda who runs the house and watches over a lot of what goes on. Victoire du Bois is terrific as Chiara as a friend of Elio and Marzia who falls for Oliver as she is eager to be his girlfriend. Esther Garrel is fantastic as Marzia as Elio’s girlfriend who is fascinated by Oliver while being suspicious that something is up with him and Elio with concern for the latter. Amira Casar is excellent as Elio’s mother Annella as a woman who is also watching from afar in the development of Elio’s friendship with Oliver while also being concerned for her son later on in the film.
Michael Stuhlbarg is brilliant as Elio’s father Sammy as an archeology professor that is eager to have Oliver help him in his discoveries around Italy as well as be aware of Oliver’s interest in Elio as he would have this great monologue near the end of the film that is one of Stuhlbarg’s finest moments in his career. Armie Hammer is amazing as Oliver as an American graduate student who is full of life as he is eager to help Elio’s father while working on his own grad paper as he is also attracted to Elio while making sure their relationship is secret. Finally, there’s Timothee Chalamet in an incredible breakthrough performance as Elio Perlman as a 17-year old music prodigy/bibliophile who is intrigued by this new visitor at his family home as he struggles to cope with his feelings where he eventually falls for him as he deals with the ideas of love and sense of longing as it’s an anguished and charismatic performance from Chalamet.
Call Me by Your Name is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino that features great performances from Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Along with the rest of the ensemble, gorgeous visuals, fun music soundtrack, and themes of love and longing. It’s a film that explore the idea of love between two men and what they try to do to keep it secret at a time when homosexuality wasn’t the norm as well as a young man coming to grips with his identity. In the end, Call Me by Your Name is a spectacular film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Jean-Emmanuel Conil under the Alain Page pseudonym and the 1969 film La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) by Jacques Deray and co-written with Jean-Claude Carriere, A Bigger Splash is the story of a rock singer and her filmmaker boyfriend who get an unexpected visit from a former lover and his newly-discovered daughter. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by David Kajaganich, the film is an exploration of temptation and desires during a vacation holiday at the Italian island of Pantelleria. Starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, Dakota Johnson, Lily McMenamy, and Aurore Clement. A Bigger Splash is an evocative yet eerie film from Luca Guadagnino.
Following the aftermath of a concert tour and throat surgery, the film follows a rock singer who takes on a holiday to rest her voice where she’s joined by her documentary filmmaker boyfriend where their little holiday is disrupted by the arrival of her former lover and his daughter, whom he had just discovered,. During this time of relaxation at Pantelleria, temptations and other vices come into play as a woman finds herself not just being pursued but also being pulled into places she didn’t want to go into. David Kajaganich’s screenplay isn’t about a time of vacation being disrupted but also people being forced to look back as well. For the singer Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton), she is exhausted as she rarely talks in order to rest her voice as all she wants to do is relax and spend her time with Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is a documentary filmmaker she met years ago during a profile for her producer/then-lover Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes).
When Hawkes called one day during the vacation announcing he’s coming, he arrives with Penelope Lanier (Dakota Johnson) who is revealed to be his illegitimate daughter that is on board just to know more about him and what he does. The atmosphere of the holiday becomes more troubling as Hawkes’ very lively persona and his penchant for decadence doesn’t sit with De Smedt who is a recovering alcoholic/drug addict. Even Marianne becomes a bit overwhelmed by Hawkes yet still has some feelings for him as the vacation becomes tumultuous. Adding to this already troubled pot is Penelope as she is this quiet observer that doesn’t say a lot but manages to do things that would just escalate as she eyes De Smedt. The script would also have flashbacks that relate to Hawkes’ relationship with Lane but also how it fell apart which play into Lane’s own resistance towards him as she is very loyal to De Smedt.
Luca Guadagnino’s direction is definitely intoxicating and grand not just for the location but also for how it can turn intense due to the things that are happening. Shot on location at Pantelleria with some of it shot in New York and a concert scene shot at the San Siro stadium in Milan. Guadagnino creates a film that has this idyllic tone early in the film once it is about De Smedt and Lane having their holiday whether it’s sunbathing in the mud or having sex in their swimming pool. There is something simple in the way Guadagnino shoots everything in terms of the compositions whether it’s the wide and medium shots or in the close-ups. When Harry and Penelope arrive, the film becomes looser but also unpredictable where Harry kind of drives everything whether it’s taking Marianne, Paul, and Penelope to this restaurant that is kind of remote to dancing in front of guests at Marianne’s home to the Rolling Stones. The flashback scenes are straightforward to play into not just Marianne’s relationship with Harry and how decadent it was but also how she met Paul. Even in how it would create elements of resentment and such into all of those involved with the exception of Penelope.
The film’s second half is definitely eerie where it doesn’t just play into Penelope getting into everyone’s skin as she would try and seduce Paul during a scene near some rocky beaches. It also play into the dramatic tension that is emerging where it would come to ahead in the third act as it’s not just about some revelations relating to Penelope but also into all of the chaos that has emerged upon Hawkes’ arrival to Pantelleria. Especially where Marianne’s world is thrown into absolute chaos which threatens everything including her career and personal life. Overall, Guadagnino creates a provocative yet rapturous film about a rock singer’s vacation shattered by the visit of a former lover and his daughter.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the exterior settings as well as the scenes set at night where it favors something more real rather than something that is more artificial. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with some jump-cuts and other stylish cuts. Production designer Maria Djurkovic, with set decorator Tatiana Macdonald and supervising art director Zsuzsa Kismarty-Lechner, does fantastic work with the interior settings of the house as well as the look of the remote restaurant the characters go into.
Costume designer Giulia Piersanti does nice work with the clothes from what the women wear such as the more casual stylish look of Marianne to the more youthful look of Penelope. Sound editor Emanuela di Giunta and production sound mixer Yves-Marie Omnes do superb work with the sound as it play into the natural atmosphere of the locations as well as the way music is sound in and out of a room. Music supervisor Robin Urdang creates an incredible soundtrack that features an array of different music including songs by the Rolling Stones, Harry Nilsson, a few originals sung by Swinton, and St Vincent doing a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Emotional Rescue as well as some music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and the German group Popol Vuh.
The casting by Avy Kaufman and Stella Savino is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Elena Bucci as the housemaid Clara, Corrado Guzzanti as a local police investigator, Lily McMenamy as a young woman who joins the gang for sightseeing in Sylvie, and Aurore Clement as a friend of Harry in Mirielle who also goes sightseeing with Sylvie as her companion. Dakota Johnson is fantastic as Penelope Lanier as a young woman who is revealed to be Harry’s daughter as she observes everything that is happening around her while trying to seduce Paul as it’s a very quiet yet eerie performance filled with ambiguity. Matthias Schoenaerts is amazing as Paul De Smedt as a documentary filmmaker and Marianne’s boyfriend who knows Harry as he struggles with Harry’s presence as well as dealing with Penelope as he tries to maintain his sobriety and Marianne’s well-being.
Tilda Swinton is sensational as Marianne as she is seen in flashbacks as a wild and revered rock singer who has a lot of talent and such while the scenes in Pantelleria has her be restrained and trying not to say much yet sounds hoarse whenever she’s talking as she has a hard time dealing with everything around her. Finally, there’s Ralph Fiennes in an outstanding performance as Harry Hawkes as it is a performance that is just full of energy and a sense of danger where Fiennes definitely loosens up in a lot of ways while making a moment where he dances to the Rolling Stones into something that has to be seen.
A Bigger Splash is a spectacular film from Luca Guadagnino as it features an incredible cast in Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson. Along with some beautiful technical work including its gorgeous location and a fun soundtrack, the film is definitely an intriguing drama that doesn’t play things safely while exploring ideas of temptation and living in the moment. In the end, A Bigger Splash is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino.
Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - I Am Love - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl - (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)
© thevoid99 2017
