joe_mal

Not all films need to be explained rationally or have a logical-rational plot.

Some films, like this one, should simply be seen and experienced with empathy trying to understand the message, the fundamental feeling the director wants to convey to us.

Besides it is often difficult to distinguish "real" scenes from those simply experienced in the mind of the narrator (are these the scenes that end with a red fade?).

What is remarkable is the way the word, the tale, manages to transform (the perception) of reality, and in fact Umberto - the main character of the film - calls himself "one who tells lies (or fables) for a living."

A story, a plot, a tale does not have to be functional but simply "is it good or is it bad" - says the film's protagonist - and so not only the story becomes important but also the way it is told

The whole film can be considered an ideal, imaginary construction: for example in the plot there are no legal "hassles" of his separated wife over child support, the black waiter with the white beard looks as if he came straight out of Aladdin's Lamp (so wise, sensitive, and thoughtful is he), Rome is a beautiful, silent city almost devoid of people and hustle and bustle, the place where he meets an old girlfriend is unrealistically silent, and so on.

Unlike the protagonist of the film many people and many young people nowadays fill their lives with many actions and concrete facts; however they are not fully aware of what they do and hence the sense of emptiness that they often perceive in their existences.

The film by director Pablo Larrain, screenplay by Steven Knight, describes the last week of Maria Callas' life; the great opera singer died at the age of 54 in her luxurious apartment in Paris in September 1977.

Callas is in the descending branch of her fabulous career and lives practically in solitude, without affection and friendships that are culturally and emotionally stimulating for her, she intoxicates herself with self-administered antidepressant and anti-anxiety psychotropic drugs and would like to cure her voice to make one last recording

The film describes the small injustices and bullying that Maria inflicts on her affectionate and devoted servants, a butler and a cook, thus highlighting above all the capriciousness of her character It must also be said, however, that in these first shots the Director also tries to make us see the world through the eyes of a very intelligent person but also under the uncontrolled influence of psychotropic drugs: the perception of reality is profoundly distorted and one can no longer understand the difference between what is true and what is fiction

The interview with the young journalist of a magazine, which lasts for several days, is essential to the film because it is the starting point to relive the moments of glory of this unique artist in the world, as well as the contrasting moments of her artistic career and her private life, such as her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, the very rich Greek shipowner, or the years of her youth linked to the Nazi occupation of Greece

Focusing only on the last years of Maria's artistic career and above all the continuous flashbacks make the film not very engaging from an emotional point of view for the viewer and the message that "gets through" is that of a person trapped and forced to live and play a part of excellence forever, but without having the possibility of changing her destiny, making her choices as a woman and a mother, or having the privacy of a common person

I didn't really like the almost spasmodic search to make Jolie physically resemble Callas, in this sense the actress who plays Callas as a teenager seemed much more convincing to me, and I didn't even like the long black and white shots of the face and eyes of the Jolie while singing, like a "possessed", famous pieces of opera

I love Maria Callas as an artist because through her beautiful voice she gives me, she gives us emotions, she makes us enter a magical and enchanted world, she makes us detach from reality and its problems; all this unfortunately did not emerge from the film and so only the image of a capricious woman who makes the butler move the piano remains.

I saw the event film of the season, Conclave, by director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) based on a story by Robert Harris, who also contributed to the screenplay of the film and I liked it very much (rating 9/10) because it is an engaging film, constructed like a thriller, full of twists and turns, it manages to always keep the viewer's attention alive, the screenplay and the dialogues are very believable and also pose intelligent questions and food for thought, and thus gives us two hours of entertainment, fun and escape from the dramatic daily news of these days; it cost 20 million dollars but has already grossed 48 in the two weeks of its release worldwide

The film revolves around the figure of the Cardinal Dean, namely Cardinal Lorentz played by Ralph Fiennes, and the three "political" or "thought factions" that divide the Cardinals

The first twist is when it is discovered that Cardinal Tremblay, the leader of one of the three factions, had been invited by the Pope himself to resign just a few hours before his death. Immediately after, a second twist: a Cardinal unknown to all shows up at the Conclave; this religious man had always been living in dangerous and devastated areas in the world, in areas of heavy military conflicts like Middle East and Afghanistan , and just for this reason the Vatican had preferred to mantein secret his appointment as Cardinal (Cardinale in pectore )

The presence of these power groups among religious figures did not cause me any upheaval; I had read that the desire to exercise power is, especially in mature age, a desire even stronger than sexual desire; indeed, the film made me understand that it is perfectly normal that in such a vast and complex body as the Church there are various souls, as various interpretations of the same message and therefore it is perfectly normal that these people try to "conquer power" precisely to shape the future Church according to their ideas

I really liked, from a philosophical point of view, the homily that the Cardinal Dean recites at the beginning of the Conclave:

"Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there were only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore there would be no need for faith. Let us pray that God grant us a Pope who doubts. And that he grants us a Pope who makes mistakes, asks for forgiveness and continues on his path, in his evolution "

(and in fact I am convinced that many of the problems of the present moment also derive from a fundamentalist or fanatical vision of the Faith; a vision that does not allow dialogue and only leads to opposition)

Another interesting quote is that of the new Cardinal, Cardinal in pectore Benites: "I'm sorry, but I cannot vote for a man unless I consider him the most worthy of being Pope. " (And in fact one should not vote for political calculation or interest)

" Abyssus abyssum invocat " is a phrase taken from the Latin translation of Psalm 42 which literally means "the abyss invokes (another) abyss", that is, if you do something bad, an evil action, this immediately calls for another and thus you enter a vicious circle; in common usage "one evil calls for another".

"The Church is not the past, it is not tradition, but it is what we will do from now on"

So the film already has as its strong points the dialogues, the screenplay, the sequence and the editing of the scenes, the acting: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, are in a state of grace, but in general also the supporting characters are very convincing.

The costumes, the tunics of the cardinal for instance, also very well-finished and so is the photography that tries to capture unusual shots from above and with color contrasts; also the soundtrack is very well-finished and underlines the action effectively

Gentlemen, for me this is the best cinema: when there is spectacle, and when there is complete involvement of the spectator.