Genova

Genova marks the latest effort from prolific filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, and it hardly comes as a shock to discover that the movie has virtually nothing in common with his prior efforts. Winterbottom’s fly-on-the-wall modus operandi notwithstanding, Genova ultimately comes off as a fairly straight-forward familial drama – yet it’s worth noting that the movie has been stripped of the sentimental undertones one generally expects from such an endeavor (ie there are no climactic revelations or cathartic moments for any of the characters). The storyline follows grieving widower Joe (Colin Firth) as he moves his two daughters (Willa Holland’s Kelly and Perla Haney-Jardine’s Mary) to Italy following the death of their mother, with the bulk of the proceedings revolving around their collective efforts at adjusting to their new surroundings. It’s interesting to note that Winterbottom (along with co-writer Laurence Coriat) has infused the early part of Genova with a palpable vibe of suspense, as the filmmaker consistently leaves the viewer with the impression that something awful is about to happen to either Kelly or Mary – with the former’s predilection for going off with strange boys and the latter’s guilt over her mother’s death certainly leading the pair into a series of increasingly precarious situations. Yet there’s little doubt that Genova is, for the most part, an exceedingly low-key and downright uneventful piece of work; Winterbottom’s willingness to allow the plotless story unfold at a snail’s pace does take some getting used to, admittedly, but it’s just as clear that the superb work by Firth, Holland, and Haney-Jardine effectively sustains one’s interest from start to finish.

*** out of ****