Amanda

Opening with sisters Amanda and Marina relaxing by a pool in country house, the former floating on waterbed. The camera pans away to a maid with drinks when we hear a watery sound and then her scream.

Moving forward several years and Amanda (Benedetta Porcaroli) is back in Italy, after an unfulfilling time in Paris, living in an apartment with an estranged relationship with her family. Bickering with Marina (Margherita Missoni) and her parents, there’s not much going on in her life other than crappy raves and the local cineteca.

That is until her mother’s friend suggests getting back in contact with her childhood friend, Rebecca (Galatéa Bellugi). How friendly they actually were when young isn’t clear and hasn’t struck a chord with Rebecca whose agoraphobia has her virtually confined to her room. At first Amanda doesn’t get anywhere though eventually she gets through to Rebecca and a friendship of sorts develops.

This is writer and director Carolina Cavalli’s debut and its intriguing if not immediately engaging. Mainly because the characters while idiosyncratic are difficult to like although as Amanda’s character develops a level of empathy is established for her. She’s a one off in a family that she’s sees as conformist – they are all pharmacists from a long line of pharmacists, and she doesn’t see herself going there.

Friendless - the family maid has been told by her mother to stop hanging around her – her attempt at romance backfires due to her endless texts plus she had inadvertently introduced her would be lover to be to his now girlfriend.

The film dives off in a few directions, but the hub is Rebecca and Amanda as they reacquaint. Superficially these two are rich girls who can do what they want in the knowledge that they’ll be ok in the end. Despite however their advantageous starts in life, it soon becomes clear that both have difficulties. Rebecca is seeing a shrink that unnerves Amanda to the point of jealousy. While the truth about Amanda comes out through conversations, revealing a troubled person.

Taken at face value with the direction, acting and delivery – the cast at times appear to be talking at each other than to – the film comes over as wilfully and brutally odd. There’s Amanda’s obsessions with getting supermarket points for a fan and her wish to own a horse that she feeds on private land. It’s also loaded with details - Amanda for most of the film wears the same clothes – that might or might not have any relevance.

Its darkly comic throughout - her exchanges with her niece are wonderful - as Amanda tries to get on with life on her own terms with little regard for others. That’s beautifully shown when she pinches a client from a colleague in an electrical shop where she works. Its not a casual watch by any means; its quite spikey at times and low on actual charm but one that could reward after repeated viewings.

Amanda is out in UK cinemas and Curzon Home Cinema now.