Partly autobiographical, A Castle in Italy is written and directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (It’s Easier for a Camel, Actresses) who also plays the lead, Louise, a 43-yer-old woman in need of romance who longs to have children — even more so because she’s not getting any younger. She has a brother, Ludovic (Filippo Timi) who suffers from AIDS-related diseases AND, in a matter of weeks, he’ll probably be dead — Valeri Bruni Tedeschi’s brother, in fact, died of AIDS some years ago. Both of them are under the emotional influence of their absent-minded, worrisome mother (played by Bruni Tedeschi’s real life mother under the stage name of Marisa Borini).
As the taxes, insurance policies and salaries needed to maintain their family castle are on the rise, and not having the resources to afford such expenses, they are forced to sell the place together with a large number of famous paintings — a precious Bruegel among them. One day and just by chance, Louise meets Nathan (Louis Garrel), an attractive man who is many, many years younger than her.
Sooner rather than later, they embark upon a somewhat heated love affair, only to discover irreconcilable differences as time goes by. So not even love can make Louise’s life any happier.
Bruni Tedeschi, the filmmaker, attempts to walk a tight rope here, but she can’t quite make it despite how much she tries. Striking a balance between drama and comedy is never an easy task, and it gets all the more difficult when humour must be smoothly intertwined with really painful stuff. And we’re not talking about black comedy, but rather about some kind of absurd, dry humour.
So whereas you may follow the dramatic parts with some interest — particularly because of the more than fine performances of Bruni Tedeschi and her mother — the same cannot be said about the comedic ones.
You may smile every now and then, but that’s as far as it goes. On second thought, the conflicts and the resulting drama are only developed to a certain degree, and then they are interrupted and left aside. It is this fragmentary narrative structure that doesn’t quite work either — the film is furthermore divided into three parts, each taking place in a different season: winter, spring and summer.
Yes, there are some special moments, some scenes that are moving and funny in their own right, but they are quite few in comparison to the whole. Such an uneven feature with an indecisive tone makes you feel disconnected rather than engaged.
You see it all from a distance, very much aware of the way the film tries to dazzle you with its offbeat nature (that is never quite gripping). I guess that’s also why indifference is the prevailing emotion you experience while watching how the sale of this Italian castle is meant as a metaphor for the situation of a family in despair.
