Human Voice: A Review

 

HUMAN VOICE (VOCE UMANA)

Human Voice (Voce Umana) is a simple story held together by Sophia Loren in if not a farewell performance at least a strong yet quiet one.  

Naples, 1950. War widow Angela (Loren) waits for her lover, known as the Signore (Enrico Lo Verso), to come for their usual Tuesday dinner. She calls close to dinner to find that he is not coming. As she recalls the day and her five-year romance that came after the end of the war, Angela also recalls seeing another woman coming out of Signore's home. 

It is clear that their affair is over. Devastated, she makes another call telling him as much while tearfully confessing she loves him.

Edoardo Ponti's adaptation of Jean Cocteau's play (cowritten with Erri De Luca) is very sparse and simple. He does open it up a bit by having the lovers stroll through the streets and Angela see the other woman (Alessandra Bonarota) leaving Signore's home. Ponti, interestingly, never shows us Signore's face. It is almost as if he is taking pains to not show him. We also get some interaction with Giuseppina (Virginia Da Brescia), Angela's cook who prepares the meal.

Human Voice gives us just a touch on a story that could be lengthened into a feature film. The film, at a brisk 25 minutes, tells its story through some voiceover but mostly through Loren holding court. Apart from dialogue with Giuseppina, Loren is the only human voice we hear.

Loren is called upon to give a wide variety of emotions in Human Voice. There is the joy of the anticipation, the mundane of talking to someone else about Signore, the anger at the betrayal, the hurt of her loss. Loren does a strong job playing all these emotions to herself, as she has no one to act against her. 

One marvels how she was eighty years old when she performed in Human Voice, her son's directing debut. While she does look like a mature woman, she still maintains some of the extraordinary Neapolitan beauty that has enraptured the world for decades. She also shows that she is a competent and able actress. From her first moment in voiceover reflecting on her romance to the final moment when she is weeping her love out, Loren keeps your attention.

Ponti, however, was wise to not give Loren a running monologue in Human Voice. He gives us little breaks with Angela's flashbacks and with Giuseppina in the kitchen, letting viewers breathe a little. It also makes the story less play-like had it been a single scene, which I figure the play would look like.

Human Voice is seeing an actress in winter still able to give a strong performance. Keeping a somber tone with William Goodrum's score and Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography, Human Voice gives everyone a good and short film to enjoy.  

DECISION: B-