The Politics of Roberto Andò's Cinema

Born in Palermo in 1959, Roberto Andò began his career as a documentary filmmaker and went on to direct for the stage. In 1990, he worked as a liaison to Francis Ford Coppola during the filming of “The Godfather: Part III.”

A decade later, he made his feature film debut with “Il manoscritto del Principe” (The Prince's Manuscript), which was produced by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso). Andò’s international breakout film came in 2013 with the comedy “Viva La Libertà,” the story of a politician who disappears after polls show him behind in an upcoming election. In an effort to keep the disappearance quiet, his aide (Valerio Mastandrea) comes up with a scheme to have him replaced by his twin brother who suffers from bipolar depression. Overcoming the obstacles, he wows the public, quickly turning the poll numbers around. Veteran stage and screen actor Toni Servillo is brilliant playing both brothers.

Andò’s next film carried the political theme, this time in the form of a thriller. “Le confessioni” (The Confessions) weaves money, power and politics to give a contemporary portrait of the effect of capitalism throughout the world and how a select few economists, lacking in moral ground, are worsening the lives of the weak for their own benefit. A monk (Servillo) is at the center of a suspicious death and through his silence and wisdom, calls out the corruption. Given the timeliness of the subject matter, the film was wildly successful worldwide and generated lively discussions wherever it was shown.

"Le confessioni"

“There was the idea to put together different worlds talking about how politics has become completely concentrated. The other is the idea to have a central character to shape different aspects,” explained Andò in our interview when the film premiered in New York at Lincoln Center’s annual series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. He went on to describe Servillo’s character, “You can't understand who he is or where he's from. Of course he is a monk. You see that but he appears like a visitor and then he’s disappearing in the same way. He creates an atmosphere of mystery but with empathy and a sense of pity.”

Addressing the relevance of the film, Andò touched on the way in which money can have adverse effects when controlled by a select few. “What was interesting for me is that today, we are in a particular moment in our history. And we see that we have a world, a lot of money but in very few hands. This is something that is creating a lot of problems everywhere. But the movie is not an essay, so the idea was to have a group of people involved in politics during the meeting that are obliged to react to something unexpected,” he said.

“Viva la libertà”

Both films demonstrate the ease with which Andò and Servillo work together. He credits that ease to the generational similarities between the two. “We are the same age. We started at the same time with theater. So, I can relate well to him. He is always the first actor I think of for a story because he always brings something new to cinema.” He added, “Toni is perfect to tell this kind of story. He has this face in which you can also read something that is unsaid.”

Andò believes the film was received so well around the globe because the story is relatable regardless of where one lives. “I think it's a moment which is happening also in Italy, in Europe, in London. We have seen Brexit. There is this paradox. They don't have any protection from economics. Now that everything is completely separating, they are obliged to invent politics, to do something that is a real strategy. What is interesting in the movie is that everything is in relation to these people and the fact that in this hotel, there is a tragic event, completely unexpected. What is interesting is the reaction from everyone.

“The Confessions” is available to stream on Amazon and Tubi. “Viva la libertà” is available on Tubi. Andò’s new film, “Il bambino nascosto,” the story of a child of Camorra and his piano teacher, premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival in September.

- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for the October 2021 issue of Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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