When life hits you, it leaves a mark. This is a topic that his home for Moretti, who lost his mom while shooting his own film Habemus Papam, which makes the films emotional connection that much more stirring. Moretti solidifies his emotional connection to this story, playing Margherita’s brother Giovanni who takes an extended leave of absence from work in order to help take care of his mother.
Burdened with the incomprehensible balancing act of all these issues, Margherita also has to tend to the arrival of big time New York actor Barry Huggins (John Turturro), who has a big personality that immediately clashes with the directorial spirit of Margherita. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t speak Italian well enough to remember his lines. It just compounds with the growing stress and hardship that is building up inside of our heroine, who has increasingly more dreams and nightmares that leave her even more unsettled.
The emotional journey that Moretti takes us through the lens of Margherita is done well, but is done through somber, glacial pacing that is at times, trying. The arrival of Turturro is played for a well needed comedic effect, and it works well. But the slow pacing of the film is done with in subtle, understated fashion that drives the emotional effect home, and when it does hit, it hits hard.
With that said, as well acted and directed as Mia Madre is, I did find myself at times struggling to become completely immersed and involved in its world and characters. There is undoubtedly plenty of tenderness and beauty to be found, but it didn’t quite hit me in a consistent manner that I hoped, and lost me here and there. I found myself wanted more and more of Turturro’s Barry Huggins, whose spark plug performance stole the show. It was Turturro’s scenes that I return to in my reflection of the film, and I only wish that the rest of Mia Madre captured me in the same way that Moretti intended.
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