It is the early years of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. With an odd start which features operatic segments and metaphorical messages placed throughout we come to know Mussolini not just as a power hungry political speaker but as a man obsessed with transcending that of your everyday man. He want’s to rise above mediocrity and form the people’s thoughts and actions into a weapon against what he see’s as a threat. From the start of Vincere (Win in Italian) Mussolini’s life is intertwined with that of Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), a woman whose own obsession is equal to Mussolini’s but her only real goal is to be by his side whatever it takes. Eventually the film breaks off from Mussolini capturing him only in archive footage, actor Filippo Timi (The American) vanishes for a bit as we take part in a new journey, that of Ida Dalser as she is cast aside and forgotten by her love. It is a slow and painful process and Director Marco Bellochio (Fist in the Pocket) paints a beautiful landscape around Ida’s suffering that adds to the draw of sympathy you are willing to devote to this character. Its an incredibly frustrating story that has its downfalls but is well worth it for the performances by the entire cast and the beauty of the films natural settings caught in superb vibrancy.

Bellocchio’s storytelling is a bit on and off again. For the first twenty or so minutes it bounces around in time skipping segments of Ida and Mussolini’s lives together, plus the archive footage that gets tossed around and the sporadic breakout of song is a bit off putting. Its seems a bit out of control which could be what Bellocchio was aiming for as he flashes toy soldiers marching  across the screen, Filippo staring into the camera with an intense look on his face, possibly a symbolism that Mussolini during the early years was teetering on a madness his control managed to hide. Somehow you manage to come out at the halfway point with direction. You’re a bit hazy on some aspects of Mussolini and Ida’s lives but you get it for the most part and when Filippo vanishes for the better last half of the film and the story focuses on Ida its much easier to follow. Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Love in the Time of Cholera) simply brings the character of Ida to life as she’s shunned and placed in asylum’s all the while the rest of the world continues on without her. You are tossed in with her fears and pains and it becomes a catalyst to the paranoia in which she sometimes succumbs to. Simply amazing. I highly suggest seeing this at least once.

The film is in Italian with English subtitles which can sometimes blend in with the color scheme of certain scenes and they do tend to come and go pretty quickly in some parts. No bonus features whatsoever other then the trailer for the film. Again, fantastic acting, beautiful visual landscapes, and an intriguing story. Enjoy.