Philadelphia Inquirer Posted on Fri, May. 20, 2005
"My Mother" filled with religious, moral intrigue
By SONO MOTOYAMA
sono@phillynews.com
If nothing else, Italian provocateur Marco Bellocchio's "My Mother's Smile" demonstrates the pervasiveness of the Catholic Church in everyday Italian - or at least Roman - life. Even for nonbelievers who are running for their lives.
Ernesto (Sergio Castellitto), a successful painter and illustrator, gets a knock on the door one morning. It's a papal emissary, with some startling news: His deceased mother is being considered for sainthood. He is expected to testify on her behalf during an audience with a cardinal the following day.
This is a problem for Ernesto for two reasons: a) He hated his mother; and b) he is an atheist.
As played by Castellitto, with his mournful face and baggy Al Pacino eyes, Ernesto is a sympathetic character at a crossroads in his life. He is separated from his wife, Irene (Jacqueline Lustig), but extremely devoted to his son, Leonardo (Alberto Mondini). He is committed to his artwork but also does illustrations for a publisher he dislikes. He hated his mother (and by extension, her religiosity), whom he describes flatly as "stupid," but finds he has inherited her supercilious smile. "I never want to smile again!" he yells in frustration at one point.
The bombshell about his mother forces him to confront his beliefs - especially since his young son has begun asking questions about God - and his family. And what a doozy of a family it is. We gradually find out in horror, along with Ernesto, that his family, including his estranged wife, has been quietly plotting behind his back to get his mother canonized for three years - and for the most cynical reasons. (Bellocchio has apparently called his movie "a very odd thriller.")
In a chilling meeting with his Aunt Maria (a scarily pragmatic Piera Degli Esposti), who is no more a believer than he, Ernesto learns that she expects him go along with lies about the circumstances of his mother's death so she can be canonized. His mother, who was murdered by one of his brothers, the insane Egidio (Donato Placido), must have been pleading with her son not to blaspheme at the time of her murder, and she must have forgiven her murderer before her death, in order to become a saint.
Aunt Maria also would like Ernesto to use his influence with Egidio - who has refused to speak - to "confess" to the circumstances of the murder. And she wants Ernesto to convert. In return, his mother's beatification will restore what she perceives to be the well-to-do family's lost prestige.
Maria, like other characters in the film, views the practice of Catholicism as an "insurance policy." And the characters continually stress the material benefits of having a saint in the family. No doubt these factors led the real-life church to deem the film blasphemous.
"My Mother's Smile" is stalled but not derailed by some odd, surrealistic moments - concerning a count who challenges Ernesto to a duel and a beautiful, mysterious woman who may or may not have been planted by his family and/or the church. Despite these moments - and despite the church's views - the 2002 film's long-delayed U.S. release is a blessing, partly because of Catellitto's strong performance but also for Pasquale Mari's rich cinematography of this engrossing story.
In Italian, with English subtitles. Produced by Marco Bellocchio and Sergio Pelone, directed by Marco Bellocchio, written by Marco Bellocchio, music by Riccardo Giagni, distributed by New Yorker Films.
