Facing Windows
Release Date:
June 18, 2004
Limited release
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 65/133 |
Dan Krovich |
A solid, workman-like effort, but nothing special |
During the darkest days of World War II, an Italian baker's apprentice murders his employer, then takes to the streets in a desperate search for something mysterious. His rage and exasperation are apparent in his demeanor.
Fast forward 60 years into the future, and a young wife and mother named Giovanna finds that she is missing passion in her life even though she has a fairly peaceful existence. Her husband Filippo is a good man, but she rarely gets to see him because of his meager night-shift job. Giovanna is a full-time poultry inspector, and supplements her income by baking desserts and pastries for a local pub. Needless to say, with her work and her family, Giovanna has more than enough to do, so she is mightily displeased when Filippo brings home an elderly, confused young man who had been wandering the streets of the city.
The old man drifts in and out of clarity, muttering the name Simone off in his moments of lucidity. Filippo agrees to take the gentleman to the police, but to Giovanna's dismay, her husband fails to follow through on his promise and the elderly man remains in her home.
Strangely, though, Giovanna begins to find herself affected in a profound way by the presence of the stranger. As she bakes, he remembers the secret of how to make the perfect flour for creating exquisite pastries. At the same time, Giovanna discovers a bachelor who lives in the flat across the street. She meets him at the pub and learns that his name is Lorenzo and that he is also a baker who is set to be transferred to a new location. Giovanna is tempted to have an affair with Lorenzo, and their connection becomes even more solidified when the old man wanders off and they work together to find him.
As Lorenzo's deadline for his transfer looms closer, more and more secrets about the old man and his past are revealed. In the process, Giovanna and Lorenzo find their connection growing ever deeper. Soon, Giovanna is at a crossroads, faced with making decisions about her future and forced to consider the affects such choices will have on her family. As it happens, her dilemma is eerily reminiscent of the one that the young baker's apprentice had to face 60 years earlier.
This Italian import will receive a small-scale release from Sony Pictures Classics, which offers outstanding support to foreign-language features. The only star with any major recognition in North America is Raoul Bova, who plays the baker Lorenzo. Bova is probably best known for his role opposite Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun, and he will also star in the upcoming Alien vs. Predator. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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