The Man without Gravity

The Man without gravity (L’uomo senza gravità)

This was one of those film suggested by my algorithm on Netflix (one of the few times it got it really wrong!). I decided to watch it without knowing anything about it, but after about 20 minutes I really had to resist the urge to turn it off. The temptation to give it 1 star was even bigger, but in the end I felt a bit sorry, not just because it’s an Italian film and I feel a sense of loyalty towards my own country, but also because there are probably a couple of sweet moments in it which made me think that actually its heart at least was in the right place. Also, after a dreadful first act, it does get a tiny bit better.

The very first image of the baby fling like a balloon out of her mother’s womb was actually rather intriguing … but then they all began to speak and the spell was broken: it was all downhill from there. I was absolutely shocked by how bad the acting was during the first act: everyone one seems to have stepped into a read-through session at its best and they’re all either over-acting or not acting at all (and I don’t meant that in a good way). If you are watching this subtitles (i.e. if you don’t speak Italian) you might get away with it and think it’s probably OK, but as an Italian there no any of that can pass as “decent”, let alone “good”. It is actually quite embarrassing.

The kids are dreadful and make you wish you were watching one of those nativity plays at school instead and most of the adults are not just over-acting their socks off, but each of them seems to have a different register as if they were on different films.

Once Elio Germano finally steps in (much too late as far as I am concerned… I was already tuned off by that time anyway) at least you know you can rely on a half decent lead… If only the script were a little bit smarter and the direction slightly less pedestrian and more imaginative.

Unfortunately as it is, this is just a half baked idea, with the little potential it could have had completely wasted.

The Undoing

The Undoing ()

Director: Susanne Bier. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Edgar Ramírez, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe.

The undoing might not be the most original story ever told, but that’s counterbalanced by the very stylish and incredibly atmospheric way it’s presented. With a pre-pandemic New York serving as the beautiful background the series is also a showcase for some very very powerful performances.

Nicole Kidman, of course, who’s never been bad before shows that even with all her botox restricting her facial movements (she should really stop doing that!), she can still act her socks off.

Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier, films everything very tight on the characters’ faces, a stylistic choice that seems to pay off here, since pretty much all the performances are just beautiful to watch.

Hugh Grant has completely abandoned his “romantic-comedy stuttering character” and has now fully embraced a much darker one and he plays it better than anything. And then of course Donald Sutherland who’s here to remind us all why he’s been in the business for as long as it has. There are a couple of scenes with him who will most probably earn him an Emmy at some point.

And then, the little Noah Jupe, who might be just a teenager, but his range of emotions, especially towards the last part of the series, is as powerful as any of his co-stars.

I’ve enjoyed watching this slick murder-mystery immensely. This kind of things is very reminiscent in terms of mood and style of those Scandinavian TV series which have changed he way TV is made, or at least this genre.Yes, the last of the 6 episode ends on a bit of a downer and it felt a little bit underwhelming and ultimately a bit disappointing (well… the last 20 minutes, not the whole thing), but the journey to get there was certainly worthwhile.

On Sky Atlantic