Italian Cinema Today

The first seven films in competition at the Berlin Film Festival have been announced. Representing Italy is Laura Bispuri’s new film Figlia mia (My Daughter), the story of a 9-year-old girl torn between the loving mother who raised her and the biological mother who wants her back. Starring Alba Rohrwacher and Valeria Golino as the mothers and newcomer Sara Casu, the film was shot in rural Sardegna, which has vast landscapes that contrast the film being set in the present.  In an interview with Variety, Gregorio Paonessa of Vivo Film called the plot a “very contemporary theme.” He said the film is "totally in line with Laura’s journey as a director” explaining, "her films have always been meditations on the female condition. In the first one it was gender identity, now she is taking further a step and tackling the theme of maternity.” Bispuri has said that American writer A.M. Homes’s memoir The Mistress’s Daughter was her inspiration behind ...

I read a quote about Paolo Genovese’s “Perfetti sconosciuti” (Perfect Strangers) -   “Un film che rimane impresso, prima nella pancia e poi nella mente.” –A film that remains first in the stomach and then in the mind. That sums up how you will feel upon watching the film. If you’re a filmmaker, you will take it one step further by asking yourself, "Why didn’t I think of that?” This is a universal story, a testament to the times in which we live. If I was limited to one word in reviewing this film, it would be, genius. That word covers just about every aspect of the film from the writing to the directing to the acting to the lighting to the set design to the wardrobe. Each person, every detail made “Perfetti Sconosciuti” a true masterpiece. I watched it several times before I attempted to write this. The first time, I just read the subtitles. The second time, I focused on the performances and then I watched it again to pay attention to the production details such as the...

The Film Society of Lincoln Center's "Film Comment Selects Series" kicked off tonight and will run through February 24. The series will close with Marco Bellocchio's 2014 mystery, "Blood of My Blood" (Sangue del mio sangue).    It's been described as dark, troubling and enigmatic- one of the strangest and most haunting films in Marco Bellocchio's long and illustrious career.  S et between two very different time periods, there are echoes of a vampire film with interlocking narratives. The film opens with a bearded man arriving at a monastery to find a nun hanging from the ceiling from her feet. Federico Mai (Filippo Timi) has come to save his deceased brother's soul after he committed suicide and therefore cannot be buried in consecrated ground unless his lover, Sister Benedetta (Alba Rohrwacher), confesses to their sin. Benedetta faces trials by water and fire- and questioning by the apostolic hierarchy. We are then proje...

Photo by Fabio Lovino  Actress Alba Rohrwacher has been working more than ever lately and currently has two films receiving international praise; Le meraviglie which was directed by her sister, Alice, and won the Grand Prix at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival; and Via Castellana Bandiera which is about to be shown in New York City at the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema film series at Lincoln Center. Born to an Italian mother and German father, Rohrwacher has taken Italian cinema by storm since her debut in 2004. With her trademark red locks and blue eyes, she does not have the typical Italian look of most screen sirens in her country, but that is exactly what sets her apart from the rest. Born in Tuscany, Rohrwacher relocated to Rome where she studied her craft at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema. Shortly thereafter, she began working in theater and film. Her first big screen appearances were in smaller supporting roles in films such as Carlo Mazzacurati'...

With dozens of films to his credit, Silvio Orlando is an accomplished character actor whose face you won't easily forget. Born in Naples in 1957, Orlando began his career on stage, and although he has made a successful career on the big screen, he often returns to the stage as a form of artistic expression that he feels film does not offer. From "Luce dei miei occhi" to "La stanza del figlio," Orlando is known for his supporting, best friend appeal but also shines in leading roles. Orlando was born in Naples but instead of calling on his Neapolitan roots like so many other artists from that area, he actually distanced himself from those southern Italian stereotypes and left the city. That risky move proved to be beneficial to his career because he is one of the most diverse actors working in Italy today.  Undoubtedly, part of his diversity and success can be attributed to that fantastic, expressive face of his. There is something about the way Orlando lo...