The film unfolds via a series of vignettes that have a tendency to go into convoluted details, labouring every beat of meandering conversations between peripheral characters.

It is hard to understand someone or grow sympathy for them when they won't stop yelling at you, and when all the world's a maximalist stage for the ensemble of "Duse," an emotional response is hard to elicit.

For Pietro Marcello, the only responsible art in times of need is a responsive art.

The film's weight rests entirely on the shoulders of actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, and this is its main Achilles' heel. [Full review in Spanish]