Salve ragazzi,
More Italian movies are popping up than we can keep track of, but in case you’re wondering…
Here are the top 5 films that I have A) watched and loved in the last year and B) you can (or will be able to soon) watch at home.
L’Immensita
I am absolutely stunned that Emanuele Criale’s profoundly personal film, L’Immensità, hasn’t gotten more attention! Starring Penelope Cruz, who, by the way, is just CRAZY talented, the film couldn't be any more topical and relevant and should be required viewing for everyone who can’t accept the reality of transsexuality.
This semi-autobiographical portrait of a 12-year-old in the ‘70s coming to terms with their gender identity is as painful as it is beautiful and poignant, and, like I said, it stars Penelope Cruz. What else do you need to know? It’s a “must-see.”
Freaks Out (Freaks VS the Reich)
One reviewer said he liked Freaks Out because it really isn’t much like an “Italian movie,” and I am offended by that statement, but I guess I know what he means. He’s wrong, but not for the obvious reason. It is like Italian movies, just not the ones he’s used to. Freaks Out is COOL.
It’s 1943, and Matilde, Cencio, Fulvio, and Mario, four circus performers, are putting on one of their traveling shows.
Cencio (Pietro Castellitto) has mastered insects, Mario (Giancarlo Martini), is a human magnet, Fulvio (Claudio Santamaria), is a strongman with “Werewolf Syndrome” (hair grows everywhere), and Matilde (Aurora Giovinazzo), is an acrobat with the power to turn on lightbulbs just by touching them. The circus master is Israel (Max Mazzotta), a magician. The war is raging all around them, and Italy is crawling with Nazis, so Israel, a Jew, decides that they should get out of there and go to America.
The movie is part fantasy, part history, part tragedy, and part inspirational. Plus, it’s just really fun to look at.
Le Otto Montagne (The Eight Mountains)
Based on the best-selling novel by Paolo Cognetti, Le Otto Montagne (The Eight Mountains) is a gorgeous movie about an enduring friendship between two men whose paths cross, and they form a bond that lasts even when their lives take them in different directions. I got a chance to Zoom with one of the stars, Alessandro Borghi, and I hope you watch the video below - he said some really fascinating things about the film.
It’s been picked up by US distributor Janus Films, so I’ll let you know when it goes to VOD.
Nostalgia
Felice’s (Pierfrancesco Favino) elderly mother (Aurora Quattrocchi) has moved to a small, drab apartment - In Felice’s absence, she got cheated out of the beautiful one he grew up in. She’s not been well, and she’s not been taking care of herself. In one heartbreaking scene, he bathes her, clothes her in new things he bought, and tucks her into bed.
When Felice moved away as a boy, he left behind a childhood friend, Oreste (Tommaso Ragno), who is now a scary Camorrista. The parish priest has been campaigning vigorously against Oreste and enlists Felice’s help in making contact with him.
I highly recommend this movie, and you can find it on…
È Stato La Mano Di Dio (Hand of God)
Set in Naples during the 1980s, Paolo Sorrentino’s autobiographical alter-ego is 17-year-old Fabietto Schiesi (Filippo Scotti), and this story of his wacky family is hilarious, melancholy, and devastating in a way that stories about families are at their best.
For those of you who think Sorrentino is a little too out there, just know that this one is less complicated and sweeter than anything he’s ever done.
Seen them all? Leave a comment and brag about it!
What I Watched Last Night - La Stanza (The Guest Room)
Right off the bat, we know something bad is going on here. What’s Stella doing in her wedding dress, on the window ledge, in the rain, perched and ready to jump? The doorbell rings and distracts her, and she gets down and goes to see who’s there.
She opens the door to find a man named Giulio, who claims to have rented a room in the house. Stella says “That can’t be.” She used to rent rooms, but the ad had been taken down a long time ago. She’s not renting them out anymore.
Giulio wheedles his way in by asking for a glass of water and then starts making himself at home. As Stella got little by little more comfortable with him, I got more uneasy. He knows things about her, her ex-husband, and her son that he has no way of knowing, and it’s clear he’s not being transparent about his reasons for being there.
The ex-husband is played by one of my favorite underappreciated actors, Edoardo Pesce, who is the best thing about this movie. When he hears that a guest has shown up, he comes over to see what’s going on and immediately thinks that Stella has invented the story to make him come. He’s wrong about that, but right about the whole thing seeming fishy.
The ending is a little disappointing, but the movie itself is pretty much exactly the kind of horror/thriller that I like. It’s full of edge-of-your-seat tension, and it provides a non-stop feeling of dread, but not in the gory “chainsaw massacre” way that I just can’t abide. There is a little violence, but nothing graphic, and the terror is mostly psychological.
The premise is really pretty awesome, but it just didn’t have the juice for a perfectly satisfying ending, and maybe there wasn’t even a way to end it like that. But I can’t stop thinking how I would have done it.
Un bacione 💋,
Cheri
America’s Cheerleader For Italian Cinema
Just put L’Immensità in my Amazon Prime queue since it is now available there.
Soooooo looking forward to seeing Eight Mountains! When available.
Nostalgia is good. The acting is superb, but the storyline a little less so IMO.
Hand of God is magnificent, especially after watching it a second time, really! HOG clobbers The Grand Beauty, and even more so, Lorro (geez!).
Highly recommend!
I am a Sorrentino fan, and I actually just this week, watched one of his few English language speaking films, Youth. It stars Harvey Keitel and Michael Cain and it is fantastic. I think Youth is as good as HOG, and trumps TGB and Lorro IMO. Highly recommend Youth - even though not from last year (2015).
Lastly, did anyone give feedback on Nanni Moretti’s Three Floors? It is a beautiful movie.
Cheri, did you ever watch Astolfo, by Gianni Di Gregorio?
Watch Three Floors and Youth when you have a chance. Beautiful films!