“I Told You So” is a story of ordinary people whose fates intertwine on the streets of Rome, gasping from the January heat.

Brief Plot

January in Rome turned out to be abnormally hot. But not only the weather prepared trials for the film’s heroes – they are to fall in love, communicate, get lost, and find themselves.

Events that would not have happened under other circumstances begin to weave into a delicate picture of human lives, very different – and very similar to each other.

“I Told You So” That It Would Be Hot

The film’s director Ginevra Elkann (“If Only…”) set herself the task of depicting the weather anomaly as close to real life as possible. And if in the first scenes this is not particularly noticeable, then somewhere around the middle the stuffiness begins to become quite palpable.

An orange color filter, fatigue on the characters’ faces, thickening vapors in the air...

Careful work with building the picture bears fruit and will definitely please lovers of metaphors in cinema. Because all this works well for the atmosphere and involuntarily evokes certain associations. As if the characters are gradually sliding into the underworld...

And, actually, what did they do to deserve this?

The Flesh Is Weak

In fact, the main theme of “I Told You So” is corporeality. A lot here is built around the human body – sweat, tears, nudity, dust. On top of this is superimposed the satisfaction of the most base, carnal passions. Sexual desire, alcoholism, drug addiction, uncontrolled consumption of food.

But feelings in “I Told You So” manifest themselves more as selfish-animalistic rather than as sublime human ones, which are much more often shown in movies. We see people consumed by blind envy, uncontrollable jealousy, awkward first love, and the desire to drag loved ones down with them. The characters try to find the meaning of life and answers to the questions that torment them, but along the way they think only of themselves and hurt everyone around them.

What Came Out?

Undoubtedly, “I Told You So” looks very interesting. Take, for example, the fact that visually Elkann references the paintings of artist William Turner – and this is quite readable. However, in a work about people and their relationships in unusual circumstances, it is important to interestingly reveal the characters and engage the viewer with them.

Unfortunately, the film sags a bit in this regard. Yes, we are presented with interesting dilemmas that the heroes try to resolve, but it is sometimes quite difficult to get attached to them. We do not always know their backstory and do not really understand their motives, so many decisions may seem strange and illogical.

Is this bad? It all depends on what you enjoy when watching movies. If you like interesting deep drama, then “I Told You So” might appeal to you only during subsequent discussion with someone. It is interesting to discuss, but not very interesting to watch.

While if you like movies “with your eyes” (beautiful visuals, well and detailed spaces in which the characters live), then you will probably enjoy the film.

The Cast of “I Told You So” Is the Strongest Aspect of the Film

I also want to highlight the acting. Elkann’s style shows that she knows how to work with actors. This is especially evident in “I Told You So” in the performances of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who subtly plays a certain mental state of her character, Valeria Golino, who largely (but not entirely) provides the comedic element in this dramedy, and, undoubtedly, Danny Huston, who flawlessly waltzes between dialogues in Italian and English.

By the way, it is his character who has the most interesting and beautifully completed story arc in the film. So intriguing and well-acted that one involuntarily wants to turn to the authors (among whom, by the way, Paolo Sorrentino is listed as a producer) and ask: “Why didn’t you add more of this? I want more...”

Conclusion

For the story to still look coherent and meaningful, the film lacked a unifying idea. An idea that would be traced in each of these character lines. The heat, according to the screenwriters and director’s intention, should have done this as a catalyst for events, but the characters are too self-absorbed and focused on their own problems for this catalyst to significantly affect them.

However, Elkann’s attempt to create an interesting anthology about people united by common suffering definitely deserves praise. Moreover, I can definitely imagine people who will get a certain pleasure from watching – if they understand what they are getting into and what they should roughly expect from “I Told You So.”

“I Told You So” is released in wide distribution in Russia on July 18 thanks to the film distribution company A-One.