{image1}With many nods at the disaffection and the stark, foggy landscapes of Michelangelo Antonioni's best films, Matteo Garrone's "L'Imbalsamatore" (The Embalmer) is no outsider in the pantheon of Italian films. Since those films have exerted such a powerful influence on filmmakers around the globe, the 90-minute film, may seem a little odd to American viewers, but not downright weird.
A bit of Italian film noir, "L'Imbalsamatore" has a fatal love triangle plot extracted from the crime columns of a Roman newspaper.
Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux) is a middle-aged taxidermist who looks a bit like a devilish version of Danny DeVito. One day at the zoo he encounters young and handsome Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo), who is also interested in taxidermy, although he's working as a cook and a waiter.
Peppino, who has some unspoken connection with the local Camorra boss, hires Valerio to work as his apprentice and he and Valerio become close. A sexual relationship between the towering Valerio and the diminutive Peppino is sometimes hinted at, though never really spoken.
But Peppino can't afford the high salary he promised Valerio to lure him away from the restaurant and he begins doing some very unsavory work for the Camorra.
On a business trip north to Cremona, Valerio meets Deborah (Elisabetta Rocchetti) and they fall in love quickly. Despite Peppino's objections, she returns with them to the south.
As Valerio's relationship with Deborah grows, his relationship with Peppino falters and appears to suddenly take a ghastly turn.
The slow, dramatic pace of the film, set mostly in Castel Volturno, a small and drab (or so it seems in Garrone's film) seaside town north of Naples, is what makes "L'Imbalsamatore" so enticing. Garrone infuses every scene with a feeling of dread that keeps viewers focused on the screen.
The soundtrack, composed and performed by Banda Osiris, is another high point and is the perfect example of a subtle, tasteful soundtrack that, while almost never calling attention to itself, adds depth and power to nearly every scene.
A fine cast, a brilliant soundtrack and a virtuoso directorial effort by Garrone make "L'Imbalsamatore" one of the year's best European cinematic imports.
"L'Imbalsamatore" screens at 5:15 and 9:30 p.m., Sun., Nov. 9 at Landmark's Oriental Theatre as part of the Milwaukee International Film Festival.
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.
