Amori fragili – Amori che non sanno stare al mondo (2017)

Directed by: Francesca Comencini | 92 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Lucia Mascino, Thomas Trabacchi, Valentina Bellè, Iaia Forte, Carlotta Natoli

In ‘Amori fragili’, or ‘Amori che non sanno stare al mondo’ (loves for which there is no place on earth) as the Italian title is, we meet Claudia and Flavio, two forty-somethings who have and had a stormy relationship. It’s hardly surprising that their relationship is made up of only ups and downs, given that the two were at each other’s throats practically before they even introduced themselves – (but she started!) They both work as professors at a university . During their first collaboration – a lecture for a group of students – Claudia Flavio rightly points out his misogynistic attitude. Their discussion continues over dinner and suddenly Claudia confesses that she has fallen in love with Flavio. Although Flavio is initially shy of Claudia’s direct way of communicating, she also intrigues him.

But the relationship doesn’t last. Don’t be alarmed, no spoiler, because ‘Amori fragili’ starts with a scene where Claudia tells in voice-over that she texts ‘him’ every day that he loves her, to which he responds by saying that he would rather kill himself than that he returns to her. Plain language, you might say, but Claudia is not convinced and continues to bombard her ex with messages. The Italian telephone company will be happy with it, but otherwise Claudia makes no friends. With the few social contacts she has, she quickly manages to pull the conversation her way. You know them, people like that.

She is therefore not very sympathetic, but funny and taken from life. Claudia is a character that exists in real life rather than in a movie and that is the great strength of ‘Amori fragili’. She is insecure and confident at the same time, honest about her shortcomings, about the flaws that aging brings (hair growth in unwanted places!) and she throws herself completely into what she does. You don’t necessarily have to like her, it would even be weird if you don’t find her annoying at times, but she is real. And Flavio also lacks a friendliness factor. Francesca Comencini filmed her own novel with ‘Amori fragili’ and does not let the viewer choose one of the two. Because Flavio also struggles with insecurities, especially when he starts a new relationship with a much younger woman. Suddenly he may be older than his lover’s father and his sexual prowess may not be as good as he’s always assumed.

‘Amori fragili’ is a comic drama about the pain of having to let go after a long relationship, about trial and error and embracing all facets of life. You can also see it as a guide to how not to start, maintain and end a love relationship, but that’s up to the viewer.