Marco Bellocchio made this moody, atmospheric drama 20 years ago, at a point when Pope John-Paul (1978-2005) had canonized perhaps 400 saints.
Ernesto Picciafuocco (Sergio Castellitto), an atheist and an acclaimed artist, discovers two of his brothers intend to have their mother canonized. She had been murdered by a third brother in a fit of insanity. The two brothers insist she died a pious death- in prayer and forgiveness. That, and an extremely questionable miracle, are the grounds for sainthood. The only problem- Ernesto has always been told that his mother was murdered in her sleep.
The filmmaking is excellent by any standard. The plot is mysterious without becoming obscure, the cinematography is memorable, and the use of symbolism brilliantly visualizes the filmmaker's views.
'My mother's smile' is a portrait of an Italy rapidly entering a post-Christian era. As you may discern from the other reviews, one's reaction depends on how one feels about the topic. While the film is undeniably brilliant on its surface, Bellocchio- no Tarkovsky- prefers to argue with straw men.
The first straw man is Christianity. Christians abuse children, and their Church is a powerful institution that hands out rewards to a select few. One becomes a Christian so that he may assuage guilt after he sins or so that he may win Pascal's wager. Nowhere do we hear of a loving God, and Ernesto makes it very clear he wants nothing to do with universal love.
The second straw man is the Christians. Of these there are two kinds- superficial Christians and true believers. Superficial Christians carry all the trappings but none of the faith. Among these are Ernesto's brothers, who view their mother's canonization solely as a way to gain prestige. True believers are doddering, stupid, and utterly lacking in common sense. Ernesto hated his mother because her faith made her stupid and unable to care for her mad son.
The movie ends with a scene of the family going to an audience with the Pope, but Pope John Paul never appears onscreen- as it would be impossible to place him among either the superficial or the stupid.
<Warning: spoilers follow>
So where does all this leave us? Ultimately, Ernesto has his integrity, his love for his son (who will be raised an atheist), romantic love, and his art. Will this be enough? Bellocchio clearly believes it is, and he argues well. This is where things really get interesting. Unfortunately, it's also where the film ends.
There is a side plot involving a duel with Count Bulla- an archaic wraith symbolizing nationalism, and an animated sequence showing the destruction of the Vittoriano Monument. Ironically, Bellocchio's postmortem for nationalism turned out to be premature. Whether he is right about Christianity remains to be seen.
Ernesto Picciafuocco (Sergio Castellitto), an atheist and an acclaimed artist, discovers two of his brothers intend to have their mother canonized. She had been murdered by a third brother in a fit of insanity. The two brothers insist she died a pious death- in prayer and forgiveness. That, and an extremely questionable miracle, are the grounds for sainthood. The only problem- Ernesto has always been told that his mother was murdered in her sleep.
The filmmaking is excellent by any standard. The plot is mysterious without becoming obscure, the cinematography is memorable, and the use of symbolism brilliantly visualizes the filmmaker's views.
'My mother's smile' is a portrait of an Italy rapidly entering a post-Christian era. As you may discern from the other reviews, one's reaction depends on how one feels about the topic. While the film is undeniably brilliant on its surface, Bellocchio- no Tarkovsky- prefers to argue with straw men.
The first straw man is Christianity. Christians abuse children, and their Church is a powerful institution that hands out rewards to a select few. One becomes a Christian so that he may assuage guilt after he sins or so that he may win Pascal's wager. Nowhere do we hear of a loving God, and Ernesto makes it very clear he wants nothing to do with universal love.
The second straw man is the Christians. Of these there are two kinds- superficial Christians and true believers. Superficial Christians carry all the trappings but none of the faith. Among these are Ernesto's brothers, who view their mother's canonization solely as a way to gain prestige. True believers are doddering, stupid, and utterly lacking in common sense. Ernesto hated his mother because her faith made her stupid and unable to care for her mad son.
The movie ends with a scene of the family going to an audience with the Pope, but Pope John Paul never appears onscreen- as it would be impossible to place him among either the superficial or the stupid.
<Warning: spoilers follow>
So where does all this leave us? Ultimately, Ernesto has his integrity, his love for his son (who will be raised an atheist), romantic love, and his art. Will this be enough? Bellocchio clearly believes it is, and he argues well. This is where things really get interesting. Unfortunately, it's also where the film ends.
There is a side plot involving a duel with Count Bulla- an archaic wraith symbolizing nationalism, and an animated sequence showing the destruction of the Vittoriano Monument. Ironically, Bellocchio's postmortem for nationalism turned out to be premature. Whether he is right about Christianity remains to be seen.