MY MOTHER (MIA Madre)
Special Presentation D: Nanni Moretti. Italy/France. 106 min. Sep 13, 9:45 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 Sep 14, 9 am TIFF Bell Lightbox 2. See listing. Rating: NNNN
The most entertaining work of Moretti’s storied career, My Mother moves effortlessly from a busy film set to serious family scenes, but his directorial skill makes the mood changes feel natural and unforced.
Away from the chaos of the shoot, the film-within-a-film’s director (the very capable Margherita Buy) and her brother (an empathetic and restrained Moretti) must face the mortality of their mother, a Latin scholar with a damaged heart.
The unsentimental intimacy of their moments together is extraordinary. A Hollywood “star” whose overblown sense of self-worth tests the film director’s professional limits on set is played by John Turturro, who gives a hilarious, delicious scenery-chewing performance that alone is worth the price of admission.
