Turkish-Italian writer-director Ferzan Ozpetek's Saturn in Opposition is an affecting ensemble drama about death, grieving, and reconciliation. Celebrated author Davide (Pierfrancesco Favino) and intense (but not terribly successful) real estate agent Lorenzo (Luca Argentero) live together happily and enjoy the company of a coterie of friends (two married couples, Davide's witty ex-lover, a vibrant young woman with a cocaine addiction, and an aspiring writer looking to Davide for advice). The sometimes sharp but generally amiable banter between them all turns to sad recollection when Lorenzo suffers a seizure that leaves him near death in a coma. The friends hover at the hospital hoping for the best (and playfully pestering a long-suffering nurse), but the situation becomes more complicated, both due to Italy's refusal to legally recognize gay partnerships, and the arrival of Lorenzo's father, who's never come to terms with his son's sexuality. Saturn in Opposition isn't polemical; rather it's a warm, affectionate story peopled with likable characters. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Saturn in Opposition
Strand, 108 min., in Italian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $27.99 Volume 23, Issue 6
Saturn in Opposition
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