Gli Occhi, la bocca (1982) Directed by Marco Bellocchio
Drama
aka: The Eyes, the Mouth
Film Synopsis
An actor by profession, Giovanni Pallidissimi remains true to his ideals,
even though he is far less involved in leftwing politics than he once was.
On hearing that his twin brother Pippo has just committed suicide by putting
a bullet in his head, Giovanni has no choice but to return to his home town
to attend the funeral and comfort his family. Naturally, being a staunch
Catholic, his mother cannot except that her son killed himself, so, to avoid
causing her further distress, her family rally round and do their best to
convince her that Pippo was the happiest of men before he died. In
fact, Pippo was driven to suicide after breaking up with the love of his
life, Vanda. When he meets his brother's former lover, Giovanni finds
himself inexplicably drawn to her, but it isn't long before the ghost of
the dead man begins to haunt their developing romance...
In the 1940s, the shadowy, skewed visual style of 1920s German expressionism was taken up by directors of American thrillers and psychological dramas, creating that distinctive film noir look.
In his letters to his friends and family, Franz Kafka gives us a rich self-portrait that is surprisingly upbeat, nor the angst-ridden soul we might expect.