{image1}Like "Monsieur Ibrahim" and a host of other films, "Facing Windows" will arrive in Milwaukee, win a few hearts and quietly depart, as less worthy movies amass all the attention. That will be fine, as long as you take the opportunity to see how good films can be, even in these days of "Dude, Where's My Car?" and the rest.
Despite its being more than a simple, linear story, director Ferzan Ozpetek and his co-writer Gianni Romoli ensure that "Facing Windows" (released in Italy in 2002 as "La Finestra di Fronte") never becomes confused and confusing. This they achieve with a well-written screenplay, a spartan cast and adept scene-setting.
The film opens in 1943 as a young baker murders his boss in a fight and takes to the dark, deserted street of Rome's ghetto. Skip to today. Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno of "The Last Kiss") and her husband Filippo (Filippo Nigro) are walking the streets, arguing, as apparently is often the case. On the way home to their two young children, they encounter an old man (Massimo Girotti, although played in the 1943 scenes by Massimo Poggio) who suffers amnesia.
They end up bringing him home as they attempt to discover who he is. Meanwhile, Giovanna can't help watching the young man who lives across the street and whose window faces hers (hence the title). This neighbor represents a new life for Giovanna, who is less than thrilled with her current situation.
When she happens to run into the neighbor on the street (Lorenzo, played by Raoul Bova, "Under the Tuscan Sun"), he arrives at the perfect time to help her find the old man, who has wandered off.
As the film progresses, everything begins to focus and Giovanna, as you would expect, must make some choices in her life. Should she stay in her job, which she hates, or pack it in and become a pastry chef, as she has always dreamed? Should she attempt to start a new life or focus on getting her current situation together? Will we discover the mystery behind the amnesiac?
With a few (but not too many) dream sequences, past and present connect and Giovanna makes a change (I won't tell in what ways she accomplishes this). And in the end, we realize that everyone, at some point, faces a fork in the road and how we proceed will forever alter our lives and the lives of those around us.
Engaging, mysterious, compelling, sweet and at times witty, "Facing Windows" is everything cinema should be.
That's why it won three Italian Oscars (Davides), including best film, best actress for Mezzogiorno and, best of all, best actor for Girotti, who received the award posthumously. He died in 2003 and despite having appeared in more than 100 films in his 64-year career -- which included appearances in landmarks like Visconti's "L'Ossessione" and Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" -- this was Girotti's first Davide.
"Facing Windows" screens as part of the Milwaukee International Film Festival, Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7:15 p.m. at the Times Cinema and Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. at Landmarks Oriental Theatre.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
