I was so pleased to stumble across this as I've enjoyed my three recently watched Ugo Liberatore films, but this one is a bit of a let down. There were ominous signs because the film was withdrawn after initial release and poor reception and Paolo Heusch called in to re-shoot some scenes using Italian porn star, Ilona Staller. In fact I don't think these scenes could have made much difference. This is a rambling affair as a guy goes off to Bali to shoot the natives and discover something meaningful. My guess is that Liberatore wanted to explore the tendency of the time for these Asian excursions and being sceptical intended something of an expose. What then may have happened as with so many other films of this time, rather a lot of substances became imbibed and the director lost his grip on the film. There are some interesting sequences when the locals do seem to allow the Italians amazing access to their rituals and ceremonies but there is nothing to help us feel empathy for anyone and gradually we run out of sympathy altogether.
Review of Incontro d'amore
