Meeting under some less than ideal circumstances in a restaurant bathroom, Jude and Mina, two twenty-somethings living in New York City, quickly fall in love and get married. Seemingly having the perfect relationship, where Jude and Mina each balance each other out perfectly, the couples' relationship takes a startling and drastic turn with the birth of their son. Always concerned about the well-being of her child, Mina begins to develop an unhealthy obsession with keeping their child away from all contaminants, introducing their young son to a "pure" lifestyle that may in fact be slowly killing him due to malnutrition. Saverio Costanzo's Hungry Hearts is a startling psychological drama that works better as a schlock-y b-movie than a profound exploration of maternity and mental illness. This is a film that encapsulates the dangers associated with loving too much, as Mina becomes a character obsessed with protecting her baby boy to such a degree that it may end up killing him. The film doesn't have much of an explanation as to why Mina becomes so mentally unstable, but it does offer subtle hints about her unwinding psychosis. While Mina losing her mother at such a young age suggests she is overprotective of her young child, the film also provides surrealistic nightmare sequences, where Mina witnesses the death of a deer. These dreams are very ambiguous, but it becomes apparent that Mina's overprotective nature has led her to not trust her husband and his family, viewing them as people whose in-pure practices could lead to the death of her child. The film requires a lead of faith to a degree, as Mina's destructive obsession feels a tad too cartoonish to be believable, but i'd be lying if I didn't say I highly enjoyed this stylish, exaggerated psychological thriller. The visual style of Hungry Hearts is impressive, transporting the viewer into the psyche of this character, using handheld tracking shots, meditative framing, and sharp high/low angles to create a sense of tension. As the film progresses, it slowly descends into a horror movie, with the cinematography taking on an even more free-flowing photography reminiscent of Andrzej Zulawski's films, perfectly escalating the film to another level as Mina becomes more unhinged. The film always is compelling and intriguing, due in large part to Alba Rohrwacher's performance, which manages to make the character somewhat sympathetic as a mother who desperately loves her son. Part horror movie, part cautionary tale, Saverio Costanzo's Hungry Hearts is a haunting evocation on the darker aspects of maternal instinct, showcasing how unconditional love could lead to dangerous consequences.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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