Movies

Review of “Vivere”

One of the more common clichés in modern indie film is the multiple story line featuring “strangers whose lives come together.” Out writer-director Angelina Maccarone has somehow managed to avoid all of the pitfalls usually associated with this format with Vivere, a new film opening in limited release today. Maccarone has delivered an honest, genuinely interesting film about three women at their own personal crossroads, and makes a few statements about sexuality, culture and age along the way.

The story line follows the three women as their lives literally and figuratively collide one night. There’s the shy, sexually frustrated Francesca (Esther Zimmering); her rebellious 17-year-old sister, Antonietta (Kim Schnitzer); and a heartbroken older woman, Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner).

The events of the film are portrayed three times (each from the perspective of one of the characters), with story details falling into place piece by piece. Unique before-and-after scenes for each character reveal the layers of connections between incidents, and some events are played out very differently from each point of view. The approach recalls films such as Memento and Crash, but with genuinely compelling, predominantly queer characters.

Set on Christmas Eve in Cologne, Germany, the film opens on Francesca, a 27-year-old taxi driver tasked with tracking down her younger sister when the teen tries to run away with her rocker boyfriend. On her way to extricate Antonietta from a Rotterdam punk club, she picks up a woman who was left in a car accident (Gerlinde) and takes her to a hospital. Gerlinde finds her way back to the cab, and the two misfits journey to Rotterdam to find Antonietta.

Esther Zimmering

After the initial setup, we follow each character’s story in turn. The cinematography in each segment subtly reflects the changes in narrative tone and complements the characters’ personalities. Thankfully, the effect is unobtrusive and adds a subtle layer of detail to the story.

It also makes for a fascinating exercise in character study. Francesca is complicated, cynical and serious, a misfit who would rather chat with women online than go out and meet someone. Her insecurity is matched only by her sense of guilt and responsibility for her sister; she has a sort of loner pride that complicates her relationships. Her sequences are filmed in longer shots, with a distance between the character and the camera, indicating a sense of alienation.

In contrast, Gerlinde’s story is told more intimately, with a close-up camera and an eye for her own point of view. Gerlinde is suffering from the worst kind of heartbreak: Her closeted lover has refused to see her on Christmas, despite promises otherwise. She initially finds solace in wine and wistful anecdotes about love, and though her path is easily the darkest and most dramatic of the trio, she eventually becomes a guiding light for the other women.

Hannelore Elsner

Antonietta is a classic rebellious teenager, but she has a great deal of heart and strength to balance her naïveté. When her boyfriend’s stoned bandmates get into a car accident and leave the victim,

Antonietta tries to get them to contact the authorities, and runs away (again) on principle when they fail to take action. She also adds a bit of youthful optimism and buoyancy to the film, in comparison to her sister’s cynicism and Gerlinde’s heavy emotional journey.

Maccarone said in her director’s statement that the characters could represent the same woman at different stages of life. Seen in this light, Vivere becomes a commentary on the fluid nature of sexuality across a lifetime, with characters that literally span the range of the spectrum from gay to straight.

A character piece like Vivere would fall squarely on its face without strong performances, and thankfully, the film’s leads deliver. Francesca is a character still finding herself in her late 20s, and Esther Zimmering brings a very down-to-earth quality to the character, making her confusion and frustration quite real.

Hannelore Elsner does an expert job with Gerlinde, turning out a performance that is alternatively wistful and wounded. Kim Schnitzer does well with Antonietta, though the role is admittedly simpler than the others.

One of Vivere‘s most charming features is its depiction of the cultural crossroads of modern Europe. Francesca and Antonietta are half Italian, half German, living in two different worlds and speaking three languages. Most of the action takes place in the famed village-meets-metropolis of Rotterdam.

Francesca’s bisexuality can be seen as an extension of this two-worlds philosophy as she (unsuccessfully) tries to make a sexual connection with both a young man in the punk club and Gerlinde.

This isn’t bisexuality as uncertainty, but more a statement on sexual fluidity and identity, concepts that Francesca is clearly struggling with.

It is this openness about one’s place in the world that makes the film so appealing. Vivere offers no judgments, covering everything from teen pregnancy, life in the closet and growing up between two cultures to sexual confusion, without ever getting bogged down or losing its pace.

A few elements do keep the film from achieving cinematic nirvana. Some of the music choices seem a bit odd, and the movie unfortunately dips into pretentious dialogue and pseudo-philosophical posturing at points. There are moments when the drama and coincidences begin to feel a bit staged, and there is an odd scene or two that feels contrived, but overall, the film doesn’t suffer for its rough spots.

In fact, for a movie to successfully pull off the frequently abused multiple story line device is something of a coup. It’s become quite fashionable in recent years, especially in independent films, to make use of the technique in order to highlight a sort of Zen, “everything is connected” philosophy that frequently degenerates into a sloppy attempt at depth. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a film that actually makes use of the technique to reveal story and character details, instead of retreading on the same old territory.

Vivere succeeds where so many films have failed with its earnestness, strong performances and indie charm. It’s not necessarily a groundbreaking film, but it’s certainly worthwhile – and a haunting, charming meditation on the nature of life’s uncertainties.

Vivere opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 29, 2008.

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