Saturn in Opposition

Who wouldn't want to spend 113 minutes eavesdropping on this group of nine Italian friends, especially in a movie directed and co-written by Ferzan Ozpetek? Once again someone dies; but after the stabbing at the end of Steam: The Turkish Bath or being struck by a car at the beginning of His Secret Life, maybe the death from natural causes in the middle of Saturn in Opposition suggests Ozpetek is mellowing. The story revolves around two couples: the gay men in the red and black shirts above, and the man in the blue shirt married to the blond woman on the left and having an affair with the blond woman on the right. The women on either end are a gorgeous single cokehead and a short, angry, big-hearted, heavyset acerbic wit married to a tall cop who is equally in love and afraid of her. Not at the level of Almodovar, or even L'Auberge Espagnole, but as ensemble movies go, this one is worth your while. You might not realize how rare it is for a movie's gay storyline to be about adults comfortably and openly themselves, rather than young people, coming out, aids, or victimization. Go see it later this summer.