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Such a frustrating disappointment

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"Mia Madre" is the sort of picture you might see being made in Europe…but it's far from the sort of movie you'd expect from Hollywood. After all, a film about a middle-aged woman who is nearing an emotional collapse is not big box office. And, it's certainly not the sort of picture the target audience of 16-30 would rush to the theaters to see. However, if you are patient and give it a chance, you're bound to get a lot out of this Italian film from director Nanni Moretti (who also co-wrote and co-stars in the movie).When the story begins, Margherita (Margherita Bay) is having a very tough time in life. She's directing a movie, just separated from her husband and is dealing with her mother's impending death. To make things worse, the picture has an American star (John Turturro) who is having trouble delivering his lines in Italian…and Margherita is far from patient with the man. What follows is the progression of events in Margherita's life…and the feeling that sooner or later, she's going to snap. After all, to make all this even worse she's middle-aged…a time which is tough on all of us…and a time of change. I should know…I am at that time in my life as well! And, I guess this is why I could relate to Margherita and her story so well.While I wouldn't rush to the theaters to see a film like Mia Madre, it's perfect to see such a 'little' film at home on your television. It is not a sweeping saga and doesn't need the big screen treatment… which is great since the movie is new to Netflix this month. It also, incidentally, received a nearly eight minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival…so I am apparently not the only one who liked it and recommend you see it!

When your personal life affects your working abilities, it is never good for anybody. But there are things that you cannot influence (some may call them Destiny). When people close to you (and your mother would count into that group for a majority of people), are about to leave your life, there is going to be a lot of emotion involved.Take that to work, where a star may or may not be right about being upset about things and you start clashing, getting frustrated over time and lose focus overall. Superbly acted by all those involved, this is dense and slow paced and surely not for everyone to "enjoy" (if that is the right word to use). But there is a lot things that you can take away here. One of them: Pain is all around us and we have to work with it and even if we're not able to accept it, still be able to move on

Melodrama is low in the genre pecking order because of its emotional exaggerations and use of stereotyped characters, most of whom are women. In this sense, Mia Madre (2016) is a purely melodramatic exploration of emotions associated with the dying of a parent as seen through the eyes of a loving daughter. This would be unoriginal on its own, so the film weaves multiple relationships into the narrative, all of which are stressed to breaking point, with a few comedic touches to make the story bearable. This matrix of emotional turbulence is standard fare in the dying parent narrative, but Mia Madre has a fine sense of balance in blending laughter and tears.Margherita is a single-minded Italian director trying to complete a film when she learns that her mother Ada is dying. She is also dealing with a failed marriage, a teenage daughter who needs mothering, and the need to visit Ada every day. Her brother quits his job to care for Ada but Margherita tries to keep her world intact. As a perfectionist, she is demanding on the set where filming is not going well because the leading man is hopeless. Her film is about an economic downturn, a failing factory and workers facing bleak times, sub-plot lines that mirror her own fractured life. It is a moving study of how a professional woman accustomed to being in control must deal with helplessness in the face of impending tragedy. It could easily have been self- indulgent except for the almost unnerving grace and dignity with which Ada deals with dying while those around her become increasingly frayed. Audience response will depend to a large extent on their empathy for, or experience of, these stages in the life journey.In many respects the mother is the star of this film. While hers is the less demanding acting role, she is a portrait of what many of us want to imagine as the peaceful exit of a beloved parent. Margherita on the other hand traverses an emotional roller-coaster on which the shock of what is happening forces her to review the meaning of her life. The camera often dwells too long on moments of introspection but the performances of both principals are finely nuanced, emotionally rich and entirely believable. There are many reasons to praise this film, but in the main it is for audiences willing to vicariously experience a slow and dense melodrama about loss.

Quick disclaimer before getting into the review: despite being Italian I have absolutely zero familiarity with the work of Nanni Moretti, this was the first of his films I saw and my judgment is based solely on the movie itself, I don't know anything about Moretti's style, his filmography nor the types of movie he makes.So, to the movie. "Mia Madre" is best defined by myself as a nice movie. I know it sounds cheap, but that is what I really thought of it. It has many problems, that when added up surprisingly leave you with a movie that is much better than you expected while watching it. This is thanks to a very human story, that, as every element in the film has its flaws, but ultimately succeeds because of its intimacy to every human being. I really find it hard to describe why this film worked, mainly because I myself have yet to understand why having many reservations about it, but it simply was engaging and never ever boring, it struck an emotional chord and touched something. Absolutely brilliant is Giulia Lazzarini and probably the main reason for which the film succeeds, and her moments with Beatrice Mancini were no doubt the most engaging parts to watch. Practically, on the positive side I just can say that there there is some very under toned filmaking going on behind the camera that works pretty well, it left me with a pleasant experience despite the fact that time and time again I found something wrong with movie.On the point I have some very big negatives to get out. Firstly, Margherita Buy is slightly uneven in her performance, it's not a bad one, just an underwhelming one. Now, as I said before I have no familiarity with Nanni Moretti, but I hope this is not the way he always acts because it was pretty bad. He may be a good director/writer, but as an actor he didn't quite work here and that may e due to the fact that his character is pretty bland. Some other minor negatives before I get to the big ones: photography isn't exactly the best, I really do believe that with a better cinematography this film could have been miles ahead. Editing too isn't really solid, but it never reaches the level of being sloppy. But, the biggest reservation I had was just how much this filmed copied, yes copied not borrowed, from Fellini's 8 1/2 and to an extent even to Sorrentino's "La Grande Bellezza". There were scenes where I felt like I was watching those movies, not a new one. The music choice, the editing style, the tone, the content, everything seemed to be taken out from them, stirred a bit and then put back in. The thing is, they do it pretty shamelessly too, they even put a scene that is screaming "La Dolce Vita". Some of the borrowed pieces of these films work, but when added to the entire movie they just stick out. All of the negative elements above essentially lead to an uneven film, way too many times a scene passes under your head or you question why you are watching it.Thankfully all of those negatives don't add up in the final product, looked as a whole, not scene by scene, to a simply pleasant journey, I had a good time with the film, but I am very angry at some of the things it did.On a totally silly side note: that poster is probably the worst poster I have ever seen. Doesn't make someone want to watch the film at all!