David's Birthday

If this were merely the soap opera which its form indicates, it would be overly extended and boring at 104 minutes. The fact that its principal point is making a tragedy of someone coming to terms with his sexuality, a first same-sex love scene causing a death, is unforgivably homophobic. This plays like a 1940s warning about the dangers of same-sex attraction, not a 2009 film. Tthe 'Liebestod' (Love Death) from Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde's begins, permeates,and ends this repugnant film. Could it be any less subtle? You'd think that at least, they'd have chosen an Italian opera in an Italian film! It makes 'Death in Venice' look lighthearted, and that's a period piece. This is not. Massimo Poggio turns in a nice performance, as someone else observed, but that's it. That 'Il compleanno' earned an award in Venice is shocking, as it is mawkish and unoriginal as well as offensive. No wonder it was never reissued on Blu Ray. I am very sorry to have seen it.

Built on the theme of ill-fated love, this film merges modern cinema with opera and emerges with a hybrid which infuses the viewer with a morality tale under two hours duration. Emotional theatrics reveal the frayed and tattered mental state of these two couples as both attempt to keep the appearances of functional family ties and friendships. While some USA viewers may find the emotional intensity "over the top," I find it similar to the emotional intensity that was infused into American Western genre when it went Italian and added an operatic theme to the story-telling. While no bullets are flying in a "pulp fiction" sensational style, the emotional content and the poignant plot climax enliven a rather dull scenario of viewing yet another "Doing Time on Maple Drive" clone-film with subtitles.

Movie opens with a melodramatic opera scene and the ending of the movie finishes likewise. So over the top that the tragedy at the end seemed too contrived and unrealistic. The sex the married Italian had with the tempting young man was made to seem like the worst thing possible and the guilt trip over what accidentally happened at the end would last a lifetime. Oh come on...give me a break. Total overreaction....totally unreal drama!!! Not interesting and not sexy.

This is an overlong Italian soap opera about two fortyish married couples sharing a beautiful beach home for the summer; when the long-absent 18-year-old son of husband #1 shows up, husband #2 falls hard. All sorts of complications might arise, but the film just flounders around for almost two hours, until it finally ends in (you guessed it!) tragedy. (All those shots emphasizing husband #1's wedding ring were a dead giveaway that this would end in tears.) There's some nice scenery, a little eye-candy, and lots of talking and eating and strolling on the beach. This movie offers a long, slow haul to a limp, contrived finish.

As you watch this film, you'll find yourself wanting to scream, "Don't do it. Stop! Stop!," that is, if you have ever betrayed the best that you have for something that you should not obtain. The acting is excellent, and believe me, after having watched more than my fair share of French films, this Italian creation is an action film in comparison. A malevolent, mythological undertone, the antithesis of those mystical experiences found in Italy by E. M. Forester's Brits on vacation, lurks just below the surface as the story lurches toward what did not have to be inevitable. If you watch closely and listen intently, David's Birthday says much about betrayal and unrequited love.