Facing Window review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

The title and set-up may recall Hitchcock's voyeurism-and-binoculars thriller Rear Window, but there's more boredom than suspense in this Dullsville love story.

Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) is a Roman housewife who spends her time staring out her back window at hunky neighbour Lorenzo (Raoul Bova). Then she meets an elderly man (Massimo Girotti) who suffers from amnesia, allowing her to approach Lorenzo for help in tracing the old boy's past. Together they uncover a decades-old love story consisting of forbidden passion during World War Two, begging the all-important question: will this desire ignite their own love affair?

Delivering another of his meandering, inconsequential stories, Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek rustles up a pair of good-looking leads and plenty of breathless scenes of unrequited longing... and not much else. Too much foreplay and no proper climax is guaranteed to leave you feeling as unsatisfied as the film's pent-up heroine.

NOVERDICT

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.