Villa Amalia (2008)

75% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
42% of users liked it
(334 ratings)

Legendary French screen actress Isabelle Huppert headlines this sumptuous, passionate tale, adapted from a novel by belletrist Pascal Quignard (All the Mornings of the World). Huppert stars as Ann, a gifted and brilliant, middle-aged musician whose sense of security falls to pieces when she stumbles… More Legendary French screen actress Isabelle Huppert headlines this sumptuous, passionate tale, adapted from a novel by belletrist Pascal Quignard (All the Mornings of the World). Huppert stars as Ann, a gifted and brilliant, middle-aged musician whose sense of security falls to pieces when she stumbles onto her husband, Thomas (Xavier Beauvois), kissing another woman. Without hesitation, she abandons him and takes a headlong rush into the arms of a new life. Guided by her musical intuition and the emotional support of a male friend, Georges (Jean-Hugues Anglade), Ann suddenly realizes how necessary it is for her to latch onto a new identity. She thus embarks on a transnational journey that ultimately takes her to the island of Ischia, Italy, and a palatial house called the Villa Amalia that will change her life. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Benoît Jacquot
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Feb 8, 2009 Wide
Studio: EuropaCorp. Distribution

Critic Reviews

Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
The film's resolution makes Villa Amalia seem more mundane than it should.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Jacquot's film does not pander to the young or inexperienced and requires the viewer to read between the lines.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
A promising and attractive film from Benoît Jacquot that devolves into an oddly unchallenging arthouse remake of Under the Tuscan Sun.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Insinuating and enigmatic filmmaking adds to the central mystery of this intensely personal odyssey
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Sometimes diverting in an eccentric and disengaged way.
Henry Barnes, Little White Lies
Benoît Jacquot, in his fifth collaboration with Isabelle Huppert, drops us into the flurry of events that make up a year in the life of professional musician Ann Hidden.
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
A growing reliance on ellipsis gives the film an episodic style that makes it feel as if we're watching snippets from a long-running series and increasingly it feels like the film has little to say about its subject.
David Parkinson, Radio Times
Adapted from a novel by Pascal Quignard, Benoît Jacquot's film is a contrived but utterly compelling study in seizing back one's life.