Elisa
Elisa’s romance with logic and the secret’s denouement echoes a first date that climaxes without a kiss and, instead, with a slap on one’s cheek. Leonardo Di Costanzo’s psychological drama guarantees fun, yet ends up being another unfulfilled promise.
Elisa (Barbara Ronchi) spends her time in a convalescent centre. She works at a local coffee place, attends some lectures and meets with her father every two weeks (he’s the one visiting her). Elisa seems perfectly normal; however, in these situations, there is always a “but”. As we learn right at the beginning, there’s a reason why our protagonist leads this almost rural, excluded life. That’s right – she brutally killed her sister ten years ago.
Elisa insists she doesn’t remember anything, so she immediately becomes a research object for a visiting professor (Roschdy Zem), also a criminologist. During their meetings, the past gradually emerges, like a diver who has lost himself at the bottom of the sea. Both actors skillfully increase the tension with each on-screen session. It begins like a meeting with a newly met friend and ends like an unnerving break-up.
Away from the flashbacks, which offer some provocative insights into the protagonist’s toxic past, Elisa is awkwardly hollow. As dark as it might sound, killing her sister was apparently the best thing that had happened in her entire life. Everything else – especially the modern timeline – isn’t as compelling. Following Elisa in her mind games doesn’t promise much and gives the audience even less. At some point, thanks to the clever cinematography that allows us to focus on Ronchi’s ambiguous countenance, we understand more about Elisa than the on-screen character. This incongruity tears down the veil of immersion. We’re already aware of what lies deeply hidden in her head; it’s just a simple deduction.
The same cannot be said about her psychologist or beloved father – they act like children lost in a crowd, unable to decipher Elisa’s reasoning behind her actions. There are a few suggestions implying she was more or less aware during committing the crime, but for unknown reasons, the others cannot find the necessary clues.
With more of the mystery being revealed, the less we trust that this is going in any reasonable direction. And, there is nothing worse for fans of crime mysteries than a film that fails not only to surprise the audience, but also to examine its character’s modus operandi with adequate care. No one expected another Fincher-like Gone Girl. Yet, what we still have is a drama about settling accounts with the past, although Elisa’s psychological layer should have been honed more carefully.
Jan Tracz
Elisa does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Venice Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event, visit the Venice Film Festival website here.
Watch the trailer for Elisa here:
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