Country: Italy / Spain
Review:“Twice Born” is an Italian drama set amidst war in
the Balkan Peninsula. Penelope Cruz stars in the main role, in her second
collaboration with film director Sergio Castellitto, eight years after “Don’t
Move”. The plot was based on Margaret Mozzantini’s novel with the same name,
and describes the complex story of Gemma, whose unexpected trip to Sarajevo,
will make her remind the years in which she gained a son in anomalous
circumstances but failed to keep the love of her life. By diving in Gemma’s
past, we get to know the difficulties she went through until go back to Rome
with a child in her hands. The direction was tolerable, yet the film exhibits
some senseless situations that left me perplexed. Sometimes these situations
were so ridiculous or inept that I was completely left adrift, trying to seize
what Castellito wanted to show with them. We have the example of a psychologist
who starts to cry after a child has been refused to Gemma for adoption, or a
friendly soccer game in the streets that suddenly becomes aggressive, or even
some emotional bursts from the characters that seemed completely overdramatized
and out of balance. This indulgent posture, even if occasional, removed any
possible impact when weighty revelations were made. Despite the auspicious
story, “Twice Born” was never catchy, showing lack of strength in the most
fundamental moments.
