Saturno Contro

I recently saw the movie, Saturno Contro (IBS or Amazon), by the director Ferzan Ozpetek, which came out in 2006 and was recently released in the American market by Strand Releasing. This is a wonderfully directed and beautifully shot film about the lives of friends who suffer an immense tragedy when one of their friends, Luca, suffers a hemorrage, falls into a coma, and ultimately passes away. Throughout all of this, each of the friends suffers further setbacks as each comes to terms with losing such a dear friend while, at the same time, dealing with their own personal problems - from infidelity, to coping with loss, to realizing that the last words you had with your departed friend were bad ones...

I dare not say more as not to ruin the story or the nuances of the film, but, this is, by far one of the best films of this director and one of the best films that I have ever seen. This is also a great film with which to practice your Italian. The language spoken is quite approachable -- intermediate students and above will get a great "workout" with this film. Even as a beginner, perhaps with the help of subtitles, you can enjoy and improve your Italian by watching this film. Watching films is one of the best ways to improve your Italian and better your listening comprehension -- and with movies, if you get stuck or think that you're missing something, you can turn on the subtitles and sort of check your understanding.

Even the music of the film is quite luscious with songs by Neffa and Carmen Consoli. Check out the soundtrack here -- IBS or Amazon.