Synopsis
Come Undone (Italian title: Cosa voglio di più) is directed by Silvio Soldini. It is an emotionally powerful drama examining the impact of forbidden love, unfulfilled marriages, and the gradual disintegration of one’s life. The film unfolds in Milan, Italy, and presents a balanced portrayal of an extramarital affair, not glorifying or demonizing the participants but analyzing their deeper psychological struggle with desire, obligation, and remorse.
Anna, portrayed by Alba Rohrwacher, is a woman in her thirties who appears content with her life. Her husband, Alessio, is a gentle and dependable man whose greatest desire is to have children. Anna is a human resources employee at an insurance firm, and like many, she seems to be on a typical life trajectory of a successful marriage, children, and steady career.
The event marks the start of new company relationships, and Domenico (Pierfrancesco Favino), a married man, takes care of the catering. Now, Anna’s calm life starts to unravel. Their first ‘meeting’ is a flirtatious and casual comment exchange, but it is charged with the potential to awaken dormant feelings within both individuals. Attraction that is at primal level manifests quickly, accompanying a secret affair.
This is not a story about epic lovelorn acts and tragic scenes; the words to follow capture the painstaking nature of how the romance alters both parties’ lives. Both Anna and Domenico attempt to keep their routines—Anna continues her work and dinner engagements with her husband while Domenico returns home to Miriam, his wife, and their two small children—but their emotional numbness is evident.
Novelty and lust drive the affair at first, but complications soon arise. While Domenico grapples with financial strain and rampant deceit, Anna carries the burden of guilt coupled with confusion. Their hurried, fraught encounters filled with emotion take place in scanty motel rooms, deserted apartments, or even in the back seats of cars. Chains crafted from secrecy and shame give rise to emotional cracks everywhere, but neither party comprehends until it’s too late.
Soldini is famous for his gentle, humanistic style. He doesn’t rush to moral conclusions like most people do. Like any person with empathy, he observes Anna and Domenico and ponders the toll of their decisions—made in the name of love, or running away from life. The absence of melodrama in the narrative demonstrates that even the simplest of choices have a butterfly effect that alter the trajectory of one’s life fundamentally.
He has deep concern for her, although Alessio does not have much information regarding her internal struggles. To him, Anna’s erratic behavior is simply a byproduct of stress or clinical depression. On the contrary, Domenico tends to act more spontaneously. Unlike Anna, he has a lower tolerance for irrationality, such as in the case of his quickly collapsing relationship with Miriam, which further entrenches him within the two realms he occupies.
What makes the film Come Undone particularly compelling is how it depicts the erosion of identity. While engaging in the affair, Anna gets lost in the process and progressively becomes a version of herself who lacks some of her personality traits. As a result, she turns into someone who is no longer a wife, not quite a lover, and increasingly unsure of her identity. Meanwhile, Domenico appears equally disintegrated – his love is split between a sense of obligation and a yearning for something…or someone.
Both Anna and Domenico are left with the understanding that the relationship is built on secrecy and passion does not equal foundation. The revelation of loss comes at the cost of their love which is more than just their marriages, it’s their entire sense of self, identities, freedom, and existence.
Cast & Crew
Alba Rohrwacher as Anna
Rohrwacher’s performance as Anna is an emotionally shattering portrait. For years she has had a place in Italian cinema for her more intimate and reflective roles. Rohrwacher bestows Anna with emotional complexity and fragility. Through her calm exterior, there is a storm of turbulence as depicted by her face and quiet words. Through her performance, we see the still desperation of a woman who is torn between her responsibilities and her wants.
Pierfrancesco Favino as Domenico
Favino, one of Italy’s most respected actors, brings intensity and nuance to Domenico. A blend of the character’s raw physicality not to mention his emotional uncertainty is captured in Favino’s performance. Rather than smoothly seducing or cruelly deceiving, Domenico emerges as a character fumbling his way through bewildering choices; Favino’s performance has this lack of certainty down perfectly.
Giuseppe Battiston as Alessio
In his portrayal of Anna’s husband, Battiston’s performance is both subtle and poignant. A husband who is warm, kind, and loving to Anna but disappointingly oblivious to her dissatisfaction. His genuine affection also makes Anna’s betrayal so painful to watch.
Teresa Saponangelo as Miriam
Wife to Domenico, Miriam is portrayed as a caring and hardworking woman who despite being peripheral helps humanize some of the more sordid aspects of Domenico’s behavior.
Director: Silvio Soldolini
Silvio Soldini, who directed Bread and Tulips, brought his distinctive Handheld stylistic approach to Come Undone. He captures raw human emotion rather than focusing on stylized montages or flashy sequences.etted. Soldini’s direction showcases quiet interiors filled with long takes and character tracking handheld camera work.
Screenwriters: Doriana Leondeff and Silvio Soldini
Reserved as visually articulated, the script is straightforward yet has many layers of emotions. Rather than exposition, the usage of silence conveys more than words could articulate. Actors and images tell the emotional story and refrain from excessive dialogue.
IMDb Ratings and Critical Reception.
Come Undone sits at a rating of 6.2 out of ten on inquiry’s on IMDb and user endorsements. As acceptance, the film was acknowledged as non melodramatic and a deep humane morally complex portrayal annoyance and by viewers. Its free of melodrama approach and humane treatment weighed accepted viewer affection.
Critics loved Wired Soldini’s Subjective uptake has also received-market rated falls Acting models have also shown approval by use of vivid cinematography setting, calm and monotonous soundscape, and balanced rhythm, various emotional sublimation serves interpose the echo essence of the characters external worlds.
Some audience members who viewed the film were inclined to think the story was weak or the pacing too slow, which is understandable if one were expecting a more standard romantic narrative. Nevertheless, Come Undone is regarded as a forceful examination of infidelity and the slow emotional disintegration of a relationship for those who appreciate character-centric storylines and European films.
Conclusion
Come Undone is a calm, meditative film that portrays the emotionally difficult decisions made by the everyday person. This film does not sensationalize infidelity, instead, it views it through the lens of deep-rooted discontentment and loss of self. Using subtle acting, engaging close-up shots, and a strikingly realistic approach, the film reveals the reality of emotional vulnerability disguised under the fragile facade of well-ordered lives.
No one is portrayed as puur good or puur evil; just people—imperfect, puzzling, and lost seekers of human connection. Come Undone is not merely a film on infidelity; it is also on unfulfilled desire, solitude, and the devastating cost of intense desire when it is pursued unanchored to authenticity.
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