NNarrative CompetitionDirector: Saverio Costanzo
Italy | English
2014 | 109min.
Subtitles: Arabic
Format: DCP
Theme: A, N
18+It starts as a lighthearted romantic comedy, as Mina (Alba Rohrwacher) and Jude (Adam Driver) are accidentally trapped in the tiny restroom of a restaurant. He has an intestinal flu, and she cannot breathe, but love finds a way. Soon after, they are happily married and eagerly expecting a baby, but the buoyant atmosphere abruptly takes a gloomy turn when a psychic tells Mina that she will give birth to an “indigo child.' These special children need very special care because they will purify the world and free it of pollution and war. Nina, already a strict vegan, starts to limit her diet even further, eating only the vegetables she grows in her little terrace. Her obsession with cleansing turns quickly into sheer paranoia: As she sees it, whatever comes from the outside is contaminated. Jude himself becomes a danger in Mina’s eyes. Their home, once a protective cocoon, has become a nightmarish prison where a twisted idea of love will inevitably lead to tragedy. Saverio Costanzo, since his first film, the multi-awarded Private, has proved himself to be a subtle interpreter of human nature. Here he delivers an impressive analysis of an immature couple, whose starving child is the symbol of their unattainable adulthood. Rohrwacher and Driver deliver nuanced performances that add meaning and depth to the story. —Nina Rodríguez