Luna (1979)

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

Opera diva Jill Clayburgh and her son Matthew Barry struggle to deal with the death of her husband. They move to Italy where she takes on various opera roles. The themes of Verdi are echoed in the film itself, particularly the incestuous longings that she develops for her son. The film bogs down big time with the drug addiction of Barry. We witness him shooting up with heroin then feeling up with mom. In one unintentionally hilarious scene he licks dirt off her face like a dog. The narrative simply has nowhere to go for long, long stretches. Mother and son end up in the Italian countryside for eons, apparently in search of his real father, who shows up towards the end of the movie. Bertolucci's technical mastery is apparent with meticulous tracking shots and wonderful sets, but the script dwells too much on the exploitative elements of the mother-son relationship.