Here’s the critic’s leading selection for the 2014 Oscar Foreign film of the year. And what a film it is. Introspective. Astonishing cinematography (EYE CANDY). Overwhelming.  And, Toni Servillo, oh what a performance. (The movie is long…strap in.)  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

• NY Times Review (5/5 stars): “thrilling ode to sensibility and to some of its linguistic cousins, like sensation, sensitivity and sentiment.“
• RogerEbert.com (4/4 stars): “Servillo, a theatrically-trained actor, makes Jep arresting. He’s like an Italian Tom Wolfe. You hang on his every word, even when you’re about to hear something gossipy and mean-spirited, because you know it’ll probably be true, or at least well-said…You are overwhelmed with information, but each scene is constructed with such care and attention that it’s easy to miss that each new scene elaborates on Jep’s latest theory or dilemma. His character arc is engrossing because it’s not just full of complex ideas, thanks to the screenplay, but visual beauty as well, courtesy of Luca Bigazzi’s cinematography”