La vita come viene (2003)

A listless young wife finds herself drawn away from her scholarly husband and toward his more bohemian colleagues in the steamy Italian drama La Vita come viene (2003). Arthouse veteran Valeria Bruni Tedeschi stars as Paola, a discontented woman who longs for a level of excitement that her nebbish husband can no longer provide. As she immerses herself in a world populated by jazz singers, suave intellectuals, and tormented poets, Paola soon realizes that she’s spent years limiting her options. Director Stefano Incerti does an apt job of creating a fast-paced and stimulating environment of artists and thinkers, complete with edgy hangers-on like the intoxicating Giorgia (Stefania Rocca). Rocca plays the bohemian vixen with pulse-quickening aplomb, showing off her lithe curves in a variety of sultry settings.