An odd one, this. In this weighty examination of secret lives and self-discovery, the expressive Margherita Buy plays Antonia. She's been married to dapper musician Massimo (Renzi) for some 15 years and all seems to be just dandy in their leafy suburban Roman existence. Tragedy strikes when Massimo is killed in a car accident one day and Antonia is overcome with grief. Things take something of a turn when she discovers evidence that her husband seemed to be having an affair, but her anger turns to confusion when it turns out that her husband's lover is a man. Unable to grasp this, Antonia determines to find out as much about her husband's secret life as she can.
Melodramatic but not overpoweringly so, 'Ignorant Fairies' may lay on its message a little thick sometimes - it takes the discovery of her deceased husband's secret to force the emotionally sterile Antonia to finally come to terms with her own life. However, Ozpetek has got a handle on his characters, and while coaxing good performances out of his actors, he allows the narrative to develop. Ultimately, it feels as though the director should have delved a little deeper into these characters and their predicaments to make something with real bite. Still, not bad by any means. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the title is a reference to a painting.
