''Facing Windows'' (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
: ''La finestra di fronte'') is a 2003
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
movie directed by
Ferzan Özpetek
Ferzan Özpetek (born 3 February 1959) is a Turkish-Italian film director and screenwriter, residing in Italy.
Biography
Ferzan Özpetek was born in Istanbul in 1959. In 1976, he decided to move to Italy to study Cinema History at Sapienza Unive ...
.
Plot
Giovanna (
Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and her husband Filippo (
Filippo Nigro
Filippo Nigro (born 3 December 1970) is an Italian actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Nigro studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia under Lina Wertmüller.
After a minor role in the 2001 Ferzan Ozpetek's drama film ''The Ignor ...
) have settled into life. They both have jobs that make them unhappy. She works in a poultry factory. He works the
graveyard shift
The shift plan, rota or roster (esp. British) is the central component of a shift schedule in shift work. The schedule includes considerations of shift overlap, shift change times and alignment with the clock, vacation, training, shift differenti ...
because he lacks seniority. They argue about money, sex, time and work... There is a subtle sense that this is a
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
whose love is dwindling fast, and that perhaps they are only going through the motions for the sake of their children.
One morning, the two of them are walking home and cross paths with an elderly man (
Massimo Girotti
Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades.
Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While studying eng ...
). He is suffering from
transient global amnesia
Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a neurological disorder whose key defining characteristic is a temporary but almost total disruption of short-term memory with a range of problems accessing older memories. A person in a state of TGA exhibits no o ...
, remembering nothing about himself and his current situation, although recalling random episodes from his remote past. And despite Giovanna's protests, Filippo brings him back to their home for the night so that he can take him to the police the next morning in the hopes of unraveling the mystery. As complications ensue, that one night stretches to a few days. The old man experiences strange episodes, flashbacks of sorts, that reveal clues to his mysterious past. His actions lead to a meeting between Giovanna and Lorenzo (
Raoul Bova
Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''Piccolo grande amore'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include ''Under the Tusca ...
). Lorenzo lives across the street from Giovanna and their apartment windows face each other. The sexual tension between the two is quite palpable as they have both been secretly watching and lusting after each other from their dimly lit windows.
Giovanna and Lorenzo's instant friendship swiftly moves to flirtation and then to a passionate kiss. However, Lorenzo's job is transferring him to another city very soon and Giovanna is put in an awkward spot having to make a very quick decision. Her heart tells her she should act on her feelings. Her mind tells her to be responsible. Nevertheless, the two of them puzzle over the mystery of the old man as they try to come to terms with their feelings for one another.
The only thing the old man seems to remember is the name Simone, so Giovanna and her family take to calling him this. Giovanna takes Simone's suit to be cleaned and discovers a love letter in the jacket pocket addressed to him from a certain Davide Veroli. The next morning, Simone disappears, so Giovanna sets out to trace Davide Veroli as a means of identifying Simone and at this point also of tracing him. A meeting is arranged between them.
When Giovanna comes face to face with the old Davide Veroli, it turns out he is the old man they called Simone. Simone, in fact, had been the man Davide had loved when he was young. Davide heard the Nazis were going to kill all Jews in Rome and killed his boss in order to escape and to alert as many people as possible. However, Davide was in a crossroad: he had to choose between telling the others – his neighbors, those who had laughed at him for being homosexual – or looking for Simone first instead. He chose to save the others in the first place to prove that he deserved their respect and saved many people and children. He was given many honors after this, but he lost his only love.
After remembering who he was, he had gone back home, although without mentioning anything to the family that had given him a roof the previous days. Nonetheless, they became very good friends. Davide helped her make some big decisions in her life, like pursuing her dream to work in a bakery and having the strength to fight for her marriage and her children.
Cast
*
Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Giovanna
*
Massimo Girotti
Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades.
Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While studying eng ...
as Simone / Davide Veroli
*
Raoul Bova
Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''Piccolo grande amore'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include ''Under the Tusca ...
as Lorenzo
*
Filippo Nigro
Filippo Nigro (born 3 December 1970) is an Italian actor.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Nigro studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia under Lina Wertmüller.
After a minor role in the 2001 Ferzan Ozpetek's drama film ''The Ignor ...
as Filippo
*
Serra Yilmaz as Eminè
*
Maria Grazia Bon as Sara
*
Massimo Poggio
Massimo, also Massimino, and Massimine () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include:
Given name:
* Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist
* Massimo A ...
as Young Davide
*
Ivan Bacchi as Simone
Others;
* Chiara Andreis
* Veronica Bruni as Tintora
* Olimpia Carlisi as Donna negozio stoffe
* Ohame-Brancy Chibuzo (billed as Ohame Brancy Chibuzo) as Alessio
* Carlo Daniele as Marco
* Rosaria De Cicco as Barista
* Lucianna De Falco as Marilena
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds a score of 64% based on 66 reviews.
In 2004, Kevin Lally of
Film Journal International
''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of ''Adweek'', ''Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals.
H ...
said of that it "is a fine showcase for a rising star of Italian cinema, Giovanna Mezzogiorno and a final salute to an Italian veteran, Massimo Girotti". He also stated the film has a "puzzle-like narrative, is consistently involving" and director Ferzan Ozpetek's screenplay will gain him a "wider art-house following".
Awards
* Won 4
David di Donatello Awards: (Best Actor: Massimo Girotti - Best Actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno - Best Film: Gianni Romoli, Tilde Corsi and Ferzan Özpetek - Best Music: Andrea Guerra)
* Won 3
Nastro d'Argento
The Nastro d'Argento, also known by its translated name Silver Ribbon, is an Italian film award awarded each year since 1946 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Italian: ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani ...
Prizes: (Best Actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno - Best Original Story: Gianni Romoli and Ferzan Özpetek - Best Song: Giorgia for the song ''Gocce di memoria'')
* Won the
Crystal Globe and the
Best Director Award for Ferzan Özpetek at the
38th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The 38th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival took place from 4 to 12 July 2003. The Crystal Globe was won by '' Facing Windows'', an Italian drama film directed by Ferzan Özpetek. The second prize, the Special Jury Prize was won by '' Babus ...
.
* Won the Golden Space Needle Award at the
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...
References
External links
*
*
- Movie's Locations on google earth
{{Ferzan Özpetek
2003 films
2003 drama films
2000s Italian-language films
Films set in Rome
Italian LGBT-related films
Films directed by Ferzan Özpetek
Sony Pictures Classics films
Crystal Globe winners
Gay-related films
Italian drama films