A Perfect Day

A sentimental, Rome-set tale from Turkish-Italian director Ozpetek about a crazed husband – and bodyguard to a high-level Italian politician – who confronts his estranged wife and two children when he cracks from the pressure of marital separation. But rather than focus solely on this desperate, strained relationship, Ozpetek wanders off continually to follow the stories of other, related characters in the hope of dishing up edifying social contrasts and delivering a rounded portrait of a modern city. The film has too many superfluous storylines to be convincing and one wishes for some restraint in the telling, which tips over into melodrama with music to match. Ozpetek finally bottles it by inserting an awkward glimmer of hope where it doesn't belong.