An average movie

Ever since I saw ‘Butterfly Kiss’, I always thought that Michael Winterbottom was a very interesting director and I try to catch his flicks everytime I get the opportunity. However, like some other directors like Steven Soderbergh for example, I’m afraid that Winterbottom has been a victim of his own ambition. Indeed, since his directing début in 1995, the guy has already directed 19 movies! A consequence of this is that some of his movies while still interesting felt rather half-baked and/or rushed in production. This flick is a very good example. In fact, the plot was actually really sad and even quite heartbreaking, the directing was solid and the performances were all decent and very effective. Unfortunately, the movie was rather short and they spent way too much time walking in those small streets of Genoa and, as a consequence, none of the characters (except maybe the youngest daughter) were developed enough. As result, it was quite frustrating. It's too bad since the material was really interesting and I think it could have been actually a really solid drama. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was a rather flawed and frustrating picture, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Michael Winterbottom's work.