Ferzan Ozpetek’s carefully constructed Facing Window looks at how troublesome, seemingly random incidents in the present can have unexpected links to the past – and to memories of events that have been suppressed and almost forgotten.
One day on the street, Giovanna and Filippo, a young married couple, come across an elderly man who has lost his memory. Already plagued by other responsibilities, Giovanna wants to move on, but the humanitarian spirit in Filippo compels him to take the man home. Giovanna may be nervous and uncomfortable with the idea of a complete stranger spending the night in their apartment, but Filippo cannot allow himself to abandon a helpless man.
So begins Facing Window, a beautifully directed, unsettling film. Giovanna has an unrewarding job and a passion for baking and dreams of opening a pastry shop. Her marriage is fine, but she is intrigued by the young man living across the way whom she watches through the window at night. While her fixation on her neighbour grows, Filippo focuses on the elderly stranger, who suffers from hallucinations and amnesia. Despite Filippo’s inquiries, however, no one at the local police station can shed light on the stranger’s identity. Then one day the man surprises Giovanna with his knowledge of baking; shortly after that, they discover a number tattooed on his arm.
Combining elements of mystery, love story and historical rumination, Facing Window is about finding and fulfilling one’s destiny. The narrative is complex but never opaque, as Ozpetek brings the married woman, the man in the window and the elderly stranger together to create an unlikely trio whose pasts and futures are full of surprises. As the old man slowly recovers his memory and Giovanna’s connection with her neighbour develops, we watch the miracle of chance as it interweaves people’s lives, creating completely new relationships with all their attendant hopes and aspirations. The elusiveness of the film, difficult to describe, provides both its attraction and its power.
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6.9
(947 votes)
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Facing Window
