Shelter Me (2007)

2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Getting the Boot

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Maria de Medeiros and Antonia Liskova star as Anna and Mara, arguably the world's most gorgeous lesbian couple, just returning from vacation to their home in Italy. Unfortunately, they discover that a young Moroccan immigrant Anis (Mounir Ouadi) hid in their car while they had it packed. Anna allows him to stay at their place, and his presence begins to upset every facet of their lives. Mara works on the floor of a shoe factory run by Anna's family, and she begins to resent her lack of power in that role. Moreover, she finds that Anis might be a good person to help drown her sorrows. Other dramas crop up, like business cutbacks, deaths in the family, stolen shoes and broken-down motorcycles, and frankly, it's all a bit much. The relationship between the two women is so rich by itself (and their performances so vivid) that the film almost doesn't need these other, relatively cheap dramatic devices to move the story forward. Otherwise, Shelter Me is well shot, by director Marco S. Puccioni. Wolfe Video released the 2008 DVD, though I only received a "check disc" and can't comment upon the extras or the final transfer.