A new Italian film  I AM LOVE stars the ever versatile Tilda Swinton as a wife who falls in one with another.

I have never seen a movie that captured the sights and sounds of a place so well — in this case Milan Italy. The filmmaker takes you on a sensational  — in the true meaning of the word  — trip — in cars, on foot — the clacking of shoes, the preparation of meals — I was reminded of the place although I have not been there in  over thirty years.

What I found most striking about the film is what we learn about the characters through non-verbal communication. The family surrounding Swinton is insular, cool and closed off. They do not embrace a grieving girlfriend the way one normally would. And our heroine is not only childlike in her infatuating love but one actually wonders if she is going to literally fall apart. Near the film’s end the up until now beautiful Swinton looks almost freakish in her pain and despair. Perhaps the film should more accurately be titled, I am Passion, yet whatever its title, it does captivate and portray aspects of the human condition we often don’t think about let alone feel.