Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I adored this, but I can see why many people felt let down by it. It starts strongly, but in terms of narrative it meanders and lacks any real story or ending.But to me this was more a snapshot of the life of a family coming to acceptance of the loss of a parent. And, like real life, there isn't always a narrative or happy ending. Things happen for no particular reason and life goes on.Now on to why I loved this. Firstly, the setting. Genoa/Genova is a captivatingly beautiful place, and the camera-work makes the most of it. I dare anyone to watch this and not want to take a weekend break there exploring that city.Secondly, Colin Firth. The film starts with the loss of his wife, leaving him the sole parent of two young girls. His performance as a father left as the sole parent is exemplary. Not yet come to terms with his own grief, he ploughs on trying to be the man of the house rather than being a father.He finds himself left with two daughters. The youngest blames herself for her mother's death; the elder expresses her grief by reinforcing her sister's guilt and exploiting her new-found sexuality. He struggles to cope with properly grieving. He fails to see the psychological scars his younger daughter is carrying. He fails to come to terms with his elder daughter's transition into becoming a young woman.And while all this is happening he finds himself being offered an opportunity to escape the role (burden?) of fatherhood via the romantic interests of an attractive young Italian student. Ultimately, he places his responsibility as a father first.The great thing about this film is that all I've just said is suggested. A touch here, a glance there, unspoken conveyance of emotions. There's no heavy-handed exposition, no guiding the viewer down a particular path. You might watch this film and come away with a completely different interpretation and it would be just as valid as mine.Particular praise goes to Perla Haney-Jardine as the younger daughter. She delivers a really strong emotional performance for a kid. Willa Holland is decent as the elder daughter, striking the right balance between childhood and teenage rebellion/sexuality.In summary, it's the kind of art-house film you're either going to love or hate. But even as someone who generally hates art-house/indie cinema Genova captured my heart.

All the other reviews have gone over the plot details so I won't. Genoa looks interesting and romantic,and the actors play their parts well. But this whole story turns on the fact that Dad virtually abandons His children for the summer in a confusing city in a foreign country. After almost no orientation to their new home He hands His two daughters, ages i6 and 9,the keys and says "Good luck finding your way back home down these winding,maze like,cobble stoned alleys." Sure He comes home from work and comforts the younger daughter when she has nightmares, but He lets the older girl run wild with no control or consequences when she comes home late for curfew,and won't tell Him who she's been with or what she's doing.I don't care how much they're all mourning the death of their wife and mother,or how much the father is in denial about what His kids needs are,the very least the parent should do is set limits to behavior and control them for their own good. There never seems to be any question of "What are you doing? What are you thinking? You can't do this!"

I saw this on TV after the guide gave it a good review, and I was vastly disappointed. It was as if the film makers had plotted out the characters' lives in excruciating detail, taking care to include all the mundane parts and not place any emphasis on any part that might give an insight into the characters' emotions, then took random bits from this time line, and that's what wound up on the screen. There are many scenes which lasted not much more than a minute, and which seemed completely pointless.It felt much longer than the quite short running time, and I didn't care a bit about any of the characters except the younger daughter, or see any point to what I had been shown. It did remind me a little of "Don't Look Now", which is not a good thing (I definitely wanted those two hours of my life back) although it didn't have the older movie's staggeringly moronic twist ending ... or any kind of twist, really. It plods for 90 minutes then just stops.Avoid.

It should seem obvious, but when we are in the thick of parenthood we don't really think of this ... there is no guide, no "right" way to be a successful parent. Those of us who are parents (I have 5 children) know it well, we do the best we can at the moment and hope it is the right thing.That is precisely what is going on in this movie. The family, now only 3 of them, lost their wife and mom. Going from what they were to what they will be is a very uncertain path. So dad, a professor in Chicago, decides to take an opportunity to teach in Italy and hoping the change of scenery will help all of them overcome the grief and move on with their lives.Colin Firth is the dad and professor, Joe. The 10-yr-old daughter is Perla Haney-Jardine as Mary. She has guilt feelings, she thinks she was responsible for her mom's death. The 16-yr-old daughter is Willa Holland as Kelly. She probably blames both her dad and her sister for mom's death, and she is at the age where she will figure out how to do exactly what she wants, and in Genoa there are plenty of virile young men to help her have fun.Another key character is Catherine Keener as Barbara, an old friend of Joe's from their days at Harvard. Barbara is in Genoa also, is very helpful, seems to want to pursue a relationship with Joe, but that only creates tension.My wife and I enjoyed the movie. It doesn't end in a nice, all loose ends tied up manner, so some will not like it. But it is an excellent study of how a family might deal with grief and a new city all at once.SPOILERS: Mom and the 2 girls were driving somewhere in the winter, there was some snow on the road, and they were playing a game where the kids put their hands over their eyes and try to guess the color of the passing car. Kelly is doing quite well, but Mary always guesses wrong. Without any thought of what might happen, Mary reached over from the back seat and put her hands over mom's eyes, causing a crash, and mom died. So she was responsible, and sister Kelly was angry with her from then on, for messing up her life, taking mom away. Plus Mary had visions of mom, and sometimes awake screaming about mom. When the movie ended the summer was over, school in Genoa was starting, and we can only hope the family can work through their issues.