Following up on my craving for some black-and-white, older films and series -- mostly just craving a massive binge through the Rod Serling series of The Twilight Zone if I'm honest -- I ended up watching a relatively short but interesting film that I had been keeping aside for a long time now, as part of a noir and international film list I created many months ago. Though with life taking over and getting all chaotic, as well as cravings for other genres, many films end up being pushed aside for no specific reason. Journey to Italy is one of these films. Where I'd scroll over its name often, reading it, and just not giving it a chance. But having seen the film, and somewhat expecting it to be a bit similar to yesterday's reviewed film, I can say it was an interesting and worthy viewing.
Journey to Italy was a film that surprised me with its English characters. Its idea of culture and history and philosophy that are entwined to produce a concoction of elements that ultimately serve to impact the characters. Having weight enough to provide character growth other the runtime. The film, at first, seems a bit generic, uninteresting, a little slow. Though much of this feels intended, working in favour of the narrative that comes to welcome you and gain your praise by the end. Well, that's how Journey to Italy was for me. A surprise that I didn't expect. Nothing overly incredible, but touching and most certainly reminding. Something of the likes you'd find from the older Paris, where a location can change a person's course in life purely by the atmosphere and way of life that culturally shocks.
I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum, though I feel that I may mention a few themes that could lead to spoilers here. So keep that in mind if you feel like checking this film out before reading this review.
With two English characters, a couple, I almost rolled my eyes somewhat expecting these characters to be painfully insufferable. Why do I say this? Well, our English couple is driving through Italy. A couple that seem to not really click and hold much connection. I got the idea that these would be the ignorant tourist types, and I have to admit that I genuinely despite those. I get secondhand embarrassment from English tourists. The ignorance and lack of will to learn of another culture and its customs while travelling for a foreign land. And the film does introduce these characters in this manner. They're demanding, refusing to accept the culture and language. They don't have any respect for natives. The two of them generally seem lost, and before we know it, we see that the two as a couple are very much lost. Stuck in a relationship with each other than just doesn't work.
Though sometimes we fail to realise that a location may be what's causing us to feel trapped. The familiarity of our way of life. The lack of adventure and knowing what's to come keeping us in the mundane and expected. Very few surprises and a culture that's so comfortable that we struggle to survive when away from it. Journey to Italy roams around these ideas as the conflict begins. The couple agreeing to spend their time in Italy far from each other, giving each other space and coming to the point in which they discuss ending their relationship finally. With the two going in different directions, of course the two experience life in different ways within a culture that's far beyond what they know. A cultural shock ultimately serving as the empiphany to these characters as they finally discover what they really want from each other and life.
I found this idea really interesting. That a culture and different location can in fact change you. That they can spread new ideas and ways of thought and result in newfound personal growth. This is something that I'm sure much of us can relate to. When we travel we find ourselves happy in the chaos of it all, learning from those who are the same, but all so different still. Italy being a place of major philosophical influence and appreciation for the arts. With exposure to it, learn new things about ourselves. Journey to Italy throws us around Italy as we follow our characters around, and it almost feels like some post-war self-discovery. A look into a society now struggling to find it's footing around so many changes. With a story that is actually rather vague.
Much of the film's directing and story surrounds the idea of life and death. The ways in which those before managed to deal with it all. How sometimes those before had no way to deal with it, suddenly coming to their demise and beyond discovered many years later. There's this idea of sadness and profound regret that lingers among the characters as they realise how miserable they've acted despite life's fragility and shortness. The idea of cruelty to each other is lost in favour of community and caring. I really liked this a lot the film's story, the way it slowly integrates life and death and things to influence our decisions in the present, but also our future. I found myself enjoying the cinematography that was mostly simple, fixed or with slow dolly tracking shots. It was quite simple, but photographic in how the shots were framed. In some parts, very much clear in the messaging: skulls lined up in a mass grave, the realisation of how once life ends, it's over. The sadness of being so still and reduced to being a mere object.
Journey to Italy asks the question of where do we go from here? And its characters float around Italy discovering it all as they themselves are facing that question. Lost, in pursuit of something, though coming to the realisation that all they needed they already had all this time. I really enjoyed it by the time it came to ending, appreciating how simple it all felt, yet so impactful. A solid reminder of life and death, and how all we need sometimes may just be each other and an acceptance of places and things that might be scary, but still different. Letting us grow and learn from them. Becoming better people along the way. If you're into these older films, and especially Italian cinema, then I'd recommend it. Even though our characters are English!
