The 1989 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner that helped jumpstart the ‘90s indie movement, Nancy Savoca’s True Love is a seminal work of Italian-American cinema. A humorous yet unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage, the film follows Michael (Ron Eldard, Black Hawk Down) and Donna (Annabella Sciorra, TV’s The Sopranos), a young couple preparing for their wedding in an Italian enclave of the Bronx. Through revealing moments in dive bars, pizzerias, and living rooms, the film offers a nuanced meditation on marriage in a world heavily driven by gender norms.

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Video Quality

True Love debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 from what appears to be a recent restoration, but the details are not readily available. The new presentation provides a clear and consistent viewing experience that showcases the film favorably. The natural film grain of the presentation is lovingly maintained and resolves consistently. The source has been spruced up to eliminate nearly all nicks and scratches. Clarity and detail never come up short, and skin tones are natural with makeup providing texture in closeup. The colors are deep and vibrant with robust saturation. Black levels are strong with crush never popping up as an issue within the shadows. This presentation is every bit as good as you would hope.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that conjures this soundscape with great immediacy. Any signs of age-related wear and tear or distortion are hidden well as you avoid anything that might impact this track. The music complements the visuals on screen quite admirably with no signs of weakness. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear as it never succumbs to competing environmental elements. Every individual element appears to be rendered well. This is an amazing representation of the film. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Nancy Savoca and Producer Richard Guay provide a decent commentary track that finds the pair reflecting on the film while also getting sucked into watching it in real-time. There is a lot of dead air, but the info we do get is worth a one-time listen.

Interview with Music Supervisor Jeffrey Kimball: A new 23-minute interview with Kimball in which he discusses getting involved with music supervision, his initial thoughts upon reading the script, working with director Nancy Savoca, making up for the lack of score, and more.

Interview with Production Designer Lester Cohen: A nearly 18-minute conversation with Cohen in which he discusses getting involved with the project, his first memory of Annabella Sciorra, what he learned as a burgeoning production designer, and more.

Interview with Sound Editor Tim Squyres: A nearly 14-minute chat with Squyres in which he reflects on getting involved with the film, creating a believable vomit sound, his collaborations during post-production, and more.

Interview with Editor John Tintori and Script Supervisor Mary Cybulski: A substantial 42-minute conversation with the duo in which they dive into the work on this picture, working with Nancy Savoca, the atmosphere on set, and more.

Theatrical Trailer: A minute-and-a-half-long trailer for the film is provided.

Final Thoughts

True Love is an impressive feature debut from Nancy Savoca, a filmmaker who never had the career she deserved. There is such an authenticity brought to this material that conjures such intense emotions of frustration and empathy. In such a compressed timeframe, you understand who these characters are and the circumstances that keep pulling at them from all sides as they try to decide what makes sense for the rest of their lives. The performances are great from the more known performers to the bit parts who make a lasting impression. This film is a domestic gem worth discovering. Kino Classics has brought this one to Blu-Ray with an excellent A/V presentation and a nice selection of special features. Recommended

True Love is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.