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Such a frustrating disappointment

Fresh and Exciting

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is a movie about people who are unusually kind to each other. I have not seen this side of gay life properly depicted before in movies. Back in the 70s, bands of gays and other sexual outliers would band together. The idea was very much one for all and all for one. The exclusion from general society and family made the bonds all the stronger.The movie also shows a very motley crew totally enjoying each other's company. You see them from all sides, not just high camp, but serious, happy, angry, in despair ... as well. It made me feel sorry for straight people living alone in their decorator mansions.The movie is subtle. It avoids Hollywood moments, while still taking you into unexpected places. It behaves with the tentativeness of real life rather than the decisiveness of a typical movie.It is a seductive movie, starting by showing each character in their worse light. Gradually you come to love them and care about them and to forgive their faults.

The film's English title, "His Secret Life", and the attendant cover photo imply that the film's story is about a man who leads a "secret life". We would infer, therefore, that the lead character in this film is male. Not so.The lead character is the man's wife, Antonia. The man gets knocked off early, and Antonia sets out to investigate on her own the truth about her husband.The film's acting is fine. I especially like the performance of the cook/housekeeper. And the film's production design is excellent. It's a talky movie with lots of soap opera dialogue, as Antonia insinuates herself into the lives of her husband's friends. And that's a plot contrivance that renders her behavior unrealistically pushy.But my overall negative view of this film is accounted for mostly by a title that is misleading.

I did have one problem, telling the many tall, dark-haired male characters apart. May have been partly so confused because I saw the movie with Spanish subtitles. It was quite a relief when One character was wearing glasses and obviously and obviously wasn't to be confused with anyone else.I have to admit an infatuation with Ozpetek's use of color, including the clothes the beautiful main female character wore, the many scenes highlighting the Italian love of food, even the glimpses of the affluent life led by Antonia. Even though once Antonia began her search she didn't seem to keep regular work hours anymore, I thought the scenes that showed her as a professional were a convincing portrayal of a woman physician.

Antonia (Margherita Buy) and Massimo (Andrea Renzi) have a perfect petit bourgeois life : fifteen years of marriage, living in a wonderful house by the lake, having no children by option, their lives looks like a fairy tale. One day, while crossing the street , Massimo is killed by a car. Antonia accidentally finds a picture called `Le Fate Ignoranti' with a dedication from a lover in its back. Antonia begins to investigate and finds that the lover is indeed a gay, Michele (Stefano Accorci), living in a gay community. Her husband had had a double life along the last seven years of his life. Antonia feels a kind of attraction for those persons, specially by Michele, maybe trying to understand her husband feelings, and in the end, becomes a new woman, like phoenix. Although being a gay movie, with a gay director and environment, this story is very sensitive and unusual. There is no cliches, it is not corny and the cast is sharp. I liked very much, but I also recognized that it is indicated for a very specific audience. The beautiful Margherita Buy has a magnificent performance, as a woman who sees her perfect world ruining twice after the death of her husband. My vote is seven, but maybe this film deserved a better rating. I did not expect such a different story.Title (Brazil): `Um Amor Quase Perfeito' (`A Love Almost Perfect')