Suddenly, an old man named Simono with amnesia came into Giovanni's life, and it was because of him that Giovanni and Lorenzo were able to talk formally for the first time. That night, Lorenzo called Giovanni and said,
"When I saw Simono, he was in pain and he was mumbling—"
"What did he say?"
"He said: 'I love you so much, But I can't...'"
The words came out of Lorenzo's mouth in quotation marks and reached Giovanni's ears.
"Oh? Really? He really said that?..."
Giovanni's seemingly calm question emphasized the quoting nature of the words, not only reminding the other party but also herself, but there was an indelible frivolity in her expression.
After that, Simono's identity was revealed. He was David, the famous cake shop owner. Simono was the name of the gay man he longed for. He died in a concentration camp in World War II. David makes an exception and personally teaches Giovanni the craft of making cakes and gives her life advice.
Lorenzo was promoted and was about to be transferred to a distant branch as manager. That night he invited Giovanni to his house. She went, after all, the handsome and elegant Lorenzo was hard to refuse. Just as they were undressing, Giovanni wanted to look at her own window from Lorenzo's window. Pushing open the slender wooden shutters, it was late at night, and most of the windows on the opposite floor were dark, including Giovanni's. The two black rectangles suddenly had a little light, and husband Philip turned on the kitchen light and put something away. The children hadn’t fallen asleep, and got up naughty, and Philip kissed their foreheads and coaxed them back to the room. Sleeping...
Every night before, Giovanni stood in front of the kitchen sink and looked at Lorenzo through the window. Today, she finally stood in front of Lorenzo's window and looked at her home. She looked at herself in front of the window, and Giovanni left. (It would be too moral and ethical to tell the story to stop here. Fortunately, it is not.) When Lorenzo left, Giovanni, who was an apprentice in a cake shop after resigning, made cakes at home, and his girlfriend Maria (can’t remember, let’s call it the name) That name) to tell her:
"He's leaving, and the moving car is downstairs."
"In the cake, do you want almonds or raisins?"
"Both." Maria muttered.
Giovanni quietly kneaded the dough. Every now and then she and Maria looked at each other. She was looking forward to Maria's second proposal, but the latter didn't speak in a fit of anger, with a speechless expression that seemed to say, "I've said everything I need to say, it's up to you to go or not." Giovanni continued to knead The dough, suddenly spread with both hands, tore off the apron, slammed the leather shoes, rushed out the door, and ran down the stairs, so many steps...
At the end of the film, Giovanni put a letter in memory of David on the agreement he and Simono used to agree on. In the gap between the fountain slabs, the letter reads: Now I often find myself talking with your eyes. Everyone who leaves leaves something behind, so I'm safer knowing I'm not alone.
It's a pretty good European film, and the title somewhat reminds me of a book title: Life Elsewhere. (I haven't read Kundera's book) There is indeed such a strange circle in life, and I always feel that another life is better and more worthy of yearning. Giovanni was wise. When she was infinitely close to Lorenzo's life, she thought of looking back, the window from which she looked back from the other side of her dream.
I think the actor who plays the old man David is very good, and he vividly interprets the pain of recalling his former lover. Regarding his identity, it is also a big suspense in the first half of the film. The setting is very good and it is very appetizing. The imaginary hallucinations of the elderly from time to time when they fall ill are intertwined with reality, and the use of flashbacks and other techniques is like reality and illusion, and the effect is very good.
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