Watch Me, Myself and Her For Free

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Tutto sommato è una bella storia, silenziosa oserei dire: non ha colpi di scena eclatanti né situazioni avvincenti. Un film da domenica pomeriggio, nulla di più. Un LGBT che però sembra quasi provare vergogna nell'esserlo, ma come ogni altro film italiano che prova ad etichettarsi con questa sigla.

The Italian film Me, Myself, and Her, examines the relationship of two middle aged women. The one, Monica used to be a film actress and is openly lesbian. While Federica was once married to a man and is sheepish about having been with a woman for the past 5 years. Margherita Buy (Federica) does a great job at expressing her confusion about her feelings with her actions. You can see it all in Sabrina Ferilli (Marina) face that she is utterly torn by this heartbreaking fact, that the woman she loves might want to be with someone else. Both actresses are great at using their facial expressions and body language to show the viewers how torn they are about what's happening with their relationship. When I first started watching the film I felt like there was a lot of pointless scenes of Monica and Federica just spending time with each other. Although, after further watching the many scenes of them doing things together it came together and made sense. The film also seemed to have really good footage, for the most part, the scenes were taken from different angles, and they did make sense. The one thing that I didn't really care for is how the film ended, I think there could have been more to it.

The Italian film Io e lei was shown in the U.S. with the title Me, Myself & Her (2015). It was directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi.By now, there's nothing new about a movie in which a gay or lesbian couple experience stress within their partnership. However, this movie has its own place in the genre, because one woman Federica (Margherita Buy), wants to keep their lesbian relationship a secret. (Possibly an open secret, but a secret nonetheless.) The other partner, Marina (Sabina Ferilli), is very open about the relationship. The plot really begins when Marina--a retired movie actor--gives an interview in a newspaper where she admits honestly that she shares an apartment with a woman architect named Federica. Federica considers this a betrayal. The fact is true, but it's still a betrayal because it it was a breach of trust. Marina pushes the matter further by signing a contract to costar in a new movie, which will mean that she'll be away from Federica. Matters move forward from there. You'll have to see the movie to find out what happens next. (It's complicated.)Both leads are brilliant actors. I couldn't really accept Margherita Buy as a successful architect. The scenes in which she is acting the part of architect fall flat. Naturally, Sabina Ferilli is typecast as a former movie star who wants to get back into pictures when the right director comes along. Even though Margherita Buy didn't act like an architect, she certainly acted well as a woman betrayed by her lover. Ferilli was equally good. It's a pleasure to see two consummate actors working together so seamlessly.We saw this movie at the excellent Little Theatre, as part of ImageOut, Rochester's great LGBT Film Festival. This was one of 22 films that had either their New York State premiere or their East Coast premiere at ImageOut. This is an astonishing achievement for ImageOut and for Rochester. My compliments to the ImageOut Board of Directors.The film will work well on the small screen. IMDb reviewers has given this movie a ridiculously low rating of 6.0. This is another case where I say, "Did they see the same movie I saw"? Find this movie, watch it, and decide about it for yourself.

Classy omosssuale drama has once married architect Buy sharing the bed with also glamorous former actress Ferilli (think a younger Monica Belucci) but we don't see anything physical till the finale. Complications with journalist Golino's interview and Buy moves out. She saves the mattress they used from the removalists and ends up flatting with her grown son, who makes out where she can hear them through the wall. Ferilli keeps the placid ginger cat. Dad Fantastichini hovers on the edges.Plausible contemporary setting, beautiful people, the so nice flat, office jobs, traffic jams, all go with handsome production values.