“For the Love of a Woman” (“Per amore di una donna”)
(Italy)
Imdb.com (4/10), Imdb critics review
#BrentMarchant #FortheLoveofaWoman #Israel #Italy #familyhistory #GuidoChiesa #TheLovesofJudith #MeirShalev #BritishMandatePalestine
Movies about family history often score big with audiences when they’re well told. However, when their stories become muddled, they lose some of that emotional equity, especially if they feature unlikable characters. And both of these issues, unfortunately, hold back this latest offering from writer-director Guido Chiesa. Set in the 1970s and based (at least partially) on the novel The Loves of Judith by author Meir Shalev, the film tells the story of Esther (Mili Avital), a surly forty-something Israeli-born woman who has lived most of her life in America. After the recent death of Esther’s long-estranged mother, she’s given a heartfelt letter written by her mom years ago acknowledging the longstanding distance that has gone on between them for ages but that also makes an impassioned final request: she urges Esther to visit Israel to look for a woman named Yehudit (Ana Ularu) whom she barely knew but believes that she has information that may prove useful to her daughter. Esther is not thrilled about the idea of returning abroad, but she reluctantly makes the journey. She eventually connects with a middle-aged ornithology professor, Zayde (Ori Pfeffer), who has much to share about the long-lost Yehudit. Shortly after they meet, Esther and Zayde form an unexpectedly profound bond as he relates secrets about his own life, as well as what he knows of Yehudit, tales that reveal his family’s colorful background and, by extension, connections to Esther and her relatives. These stories are depicted through a series of flashbacks from the 1920s, a time when Israel was still known as British Mandate Palestine, to the mid 20th Century, through which viewers meet the mystery woman and the people who were important in her life. By all rights, this might seem like it should be an intriguing premise for a family history film, but, regrettably, it simply isn’t as compelling as one might think. In large part, this has to do with the way the picture is structured, the flow of which can be somewhat clumsy and confusing in its presentation of the main narrative and the flashbacks (a better script and more effective editing would have helped) It’s further compromised by the nature of the protagonist, who is more than a little challenging to empathize with, even through sustained but unconvincing attempts at softening her edges to try and redeem her character. Unfortunately, these elements detract from what could have been a better picture and story, watering down the message and themes it seeks to convey about relations, acceptance and understanding. And aren’t those the qualities that family is supposed to bring out in all of us?