Italian Cinema Today

Today is the last day of Cinema Italian Style’s virtual film festival. Having already seen several of the films in other virtual festivals this year, there were just four left to see. I had a feeling that Francesco Bruni’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” was going to be heavy on the emotions, so I kept putting it off. Then today I watched it and wow, what a masterpiece.  Bruni’s writing and direction brought to life this heart-wrenching story of a guy in his mid-40s diagnosed with leukemia and his journey with treatment. When you cry during the first five minutes of a film, you know you’re going to be emotionally invested. But I also laughed as much as I cried, thanks to Bruni’s sense of humor and sharp writing skills. The film’s perfect casting drove the story home. Kim Rossi Stuart in the lead role was at times unrecognizable as his character, Bruno, was undergoing treatment. He’s one of contemporary Italian cinema’s treasures. I remember seeing him in the Taviani Brothers’ 2015 ...

Her girl-next-door looks got her discovered when she was just a teenager. Fifteen years later, she's one of Italy's top dramatic actresses. Born and raised in Rome, Jasmine Trinca  never had intentions of becoming an actress, but she was discovered by a talent scout and fate took over. Trinca's first role was in Nanni Moretti's 2001 drama, La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room.) It's the tragic story of how parents deal with the death of a child. Trinca portrays the role of Irene, the sister of the character who dies in a swimming accident.   Trinca was just a teenager when she appeared in this film, but her performance was strong as she shared scenes with cinema veterans Laura Morante and Nanni Moretti. Her performance earned her the prestigious Guglielmo Biraghi prize as best new talent of the year. For as much success as she had in that film, she thought her career would end there.  It was only after director Marco Tullio Giordana off...