Because nothing is as it seems in this twisting thriller from director Giuseppe Capotondi, “Double Hour” requires you to pay attention and, perhaps, see the movie a second time. The movie, which won its stars, Ksenia Rappoport and Filippo Timi, best acting awards at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, will take mystery aficionados on an exhilarating ride. After about 20 minutes into the plot, the story slips into a parallel reality that may or not be the dream world of a woman in a coma. Then, during the last third of the 96-minute running time, “Double Hour” shifts back to the former reality as our heroine, Sonia (Rappoport) regains consciousness in a hospital after a traumatic shooting. According to Guido (Timi), Sonia’s boyfriend, the ‘double hour’ refers to the moment on a digital watch when the numbers of the hour and the minute are identical, like 10:10. If you happen to catch those numbers, you can make a wish. Rappoport and Filippo’s work is subtle and absolutely pitch perfect. On one level, “Double Hour” is a love story and a story of forgiveness, trust and second chances. On another level, it’s a psychological puzzle, pulsing with mystery and suspense.
Sonia (Rappoport), a sad-eyed Slovenian émigré to Turin, works as a chambermaid. At a speed-dating event, she meets Guido (Timi), an ex-cop who works as a security guard at an elegant private villa on the outskirts of town. Something clicks as the two trade introductory chatter and it’s not long before they fall into a serious romance. While on a romantic woodland stroll in the back of the estate where Guido works, they are approached by masked robbers to tie them up, drive two large trucks through the gates and ransack the place of its art treasures. When one of the robbers threatens to rape Sonia, Guido struggles to stop him and the gun goes off, killing Guido and grazing Sonia’s forehead. Then the movie abruptly cuts away from the crime scene. “Double Hour” which touches on romance, thriller, psychological puzzle and film noir, is a movie Alfred Hitchcock would love. And with it’s a diabolical mind games, it’s a movie you won’t want to miss. Subtitles. 5/5/11
1 comment:
This complicated drama has a lot of twists and turns that you can't untangle until the final scenes. about the time you think you have it figured out off it goes in another direction. Good movie.
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