Io Sono L'Amore (aka I Am Love) (2010)

Set in Italy, a wealthy Milanese family celebrates the birthday of the dying patriarch (Gabriele Ferzetti) as he passes on the family's fortune and business to his son (Pippo Delbono) and grandson (Flavio Parenti). But the son's Russian born wife (Tilda Swinton) is on the brink of discontent and self discovery that leads to a forbidden love affair that results in grand tragedy. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (CHALLENGERS). Let me say it up front. This is a stunning film! A cinema lover’s feast of riches. It’s a hybrid of ANNA KARENINA and MADAME BOVARY, echoing the operatic grandiosity of Visconti, the emotional complexities of Antonioni and the extravagant passionate heights of Sirk. The sensational score is comprised of the concert works and operas of John Adams. Bold and rich music that proclaims the great scores of the Golden era (though as noted none of it written with cinema in mind), none of this subtle modernist stuff. Swinton, no surprise, anchors the film with another superb performance and does it all in Italian and Russian, too! Elegant and stylish, it's a lavish emotional experience. With Marisa Berenson, looking elegant as ever as the family matriarch, Edoardo Gabbriellini and Alba Rohrwacher.