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Where I've Never Lived

Where I've Never Lived

2017

Director

Paolo Franchi

Runtime

107 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Where I've never been to live, Francesca's emotional conflicts, 50, is the only daughter of a famous Turin architect, to whom she visits only on rare occasions. For many years, Francesca lives in Paris with her teenage daughter and her husband Benoît, a financier on her sixty, apparently reserved but paternal and protective about her. Due to a domestic accident that forces the elderly father to bed, the woman flees to Turin to take her parents in the design of a villa on a lake for a young couple. At work he meets architect Massimo, his peer-minded career and engaged in an open relationship with independent Sandra. After a tough first approach, Massimo and Francesca create a strong professional tune that leads to a deep and passionate feeling. For the first time in life, both will have to really confront themselves and their most authentic destinies ...

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.9/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Good

The film presents a functional, non-monogamous relationship through Massimo and Sandra. This inclusion avoids common tropes of tragedy, offering a nuanced look at modern interpersonal connectivity.

Gender Representation

Good

Francesca is a professional architect who drives the narrative through her own agency. The story subverts traditional domestic roles by prioritizing her intellectual autonomy and emotional truth.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The setting remains culturally homogeneous, focusing on European locations like Turin and Paris. The primary social circles lack significant racial or ethnic diversity.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The narrative deconstructs the traditional nuclear family by prioritizing individual desire over institutional stability. It explores the fluid nature of personal identity and professional passion.

Disability Representation

Minimal

An elderly father is rendered bedridden by an accident, but his condition appears to serve as a plot catalyst. There is no evidence of deeper disability exploration.

Strengths

  • Strong emphasis on female agency and professional autonomy.
  • Nuanced, non-tragic depiction of non-monogamous relationship structures.
  • Effective subversion of traditional domestic and marital archetypes.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the primary cast.
  • Limited exploration of disability beyond using it as a plot device.
  • Narrow cultural scope centered on a homogeneous European setting.

AI Analysis

Paolo Franchi’s character study succeeds in subverting gendered expectations by centering a female professional's journey toward self-actualization. The film moves beyond the archetype of the submissive wife, framing Francesca as the primary driver of her own destiny. The inclusion of an open relationship provides a progressive look at non-traditional domesticity. By presenting these dynamics as stable and functional, the film avoids the typical cinematic pitfalls of portraying non-monogamy as inherently dysfunctional. However, the film's impact is limited by a lack of intersectionality. The focus on a culturally homogeneous European demographic results in a narrow racial and ethnic profile, preventing a more expansive social perspective.

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