THE STORY – Follows a couple, Marta and Antonio, who split up after what seems like a trivial argument.
THE CAST – Alba Rohrwacher, Elio Germano, Silvia D’Amico, Galatea Bellugi, Francesco Carril, & Sarita Choudhury
THE TEAM – Isabel Coixet (Director/Writer) & Enrico Audenino (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 120 Minutes
Breakups can be awful, but good, as seen in Isabel Coixet’s meditative relationship drama “Three Goodbyes.” Based on Italian author and LGBTQ+ activist Michela Murgia’s semi-autobiographical book “Tre ciotole,” the film conveys how two former lovers react differently to lost love — one falls back on herself, and the other immerses himself in work. When two people go their separate ways, what happens to the intimate moments shared? Where does all that love go? Why do we fall in or out of love with someone in the first place? In “Three Goodbyes,” and in life itself, there are no easy answers. Or, at least, none satisfying enough to put such questions to rest. As the film echoes, “you love someone, and then it stops,” and it’s part of life. In a world where only death is certain, all we have are the fleeting moments that make us feel alive, and “Three Goodbyes” embraces this transient existence.
Marta (Alba Rohrwacher) and her partner, Antonio (Elio Germano), who have been together for many years, suddenly split after a minor argument. Post-breakup, they continue to go about their daily lives; Marta teaches at a high school, where she observes some troubling student dynamics and navigates silly staff politics, and Elio is a rising chef at a restaurant, which starts to get bombarded with one-star reviews. Between the two, the film prioritizes Marta’s perspective as she finds ways to cope, including having a life-size cutout of a Korean idol next to her bed; she misses waking up next to someone. Marta tries shutting out the real world, but her loss of appetite becomes an alarming health crisis that leads to changing priorities.
Coixet’s transcendent direction makes this character study of Marta feel incredibly immersive and organic. Through fluid camera movements and intimate close-ups, the audience gets a beguiling portrait of a woman searching for peace when faced with mortality. Operating outside a traditional narrative structure, Coixet finds intriguing layers in the hazy, raw aftermath of Marta and Antonio’s relationship. We rarely see these two characters together, apart from their painful argument and sweet flashbacks to happier times. Marta’s withdrawal from the breakup, and from her life overall, begins to guide the film’s visual language. While the depiction of her character’s perspective can get a little repetitive, Alba Rohrwacher commands the screen with a remarkably delicate and lived-in performance. It’s also lovely to see Rohrwacher take the lead, following small standout roles in her sister Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera” and in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria.”
The screenplay, co-written by Coixet and Enrico Audenino, shines brightest with Marta’s life-affirming inner monologues. Conversations about hearts exploding from happiness, missing the warmth of another body beside yours, and choosing to love even if you’re afraid of not being loved, are among the heartfelt threads. The film also incorporates these personal monologues with broader meditations on various themes, including intimacy and illness. The existential conflict that arises from Marta’s diagnosis is deeply reverberating, standing out as one of the more thoughtful depictions of cancer. As Marta figures out what she wants to leave behind, the film strikes a fine balance between realism and a feel-good mentality.
“Three Goodbyes” also shines as a sweet, personalized love letter to Rome. The city is portrayed from an intimate perspective, capturing what stands out in Marta’s eyes. She finds beauty in Madonnas and the elderly, in mysterious little squares and windows, and in the ancient mystique of the city’s history. There’s a romanticism to the location, as well as the film itself, which avoids overindulging in sentimentality. While the structure can be a little too unfocused, Coixet’s subtle depiction of love and loss goes a long way, building to a memorable conclusion.
