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Reviews
Coup de chance (2023)
The Human Condition is More than a Game
I was waiting for the opportunity to see Woody Allen again. I am happy I did. «Coup de chance» is very much in line with what we are used to have from W. Allen, and yet there is something new, namely, the way the film underlines the conflict between self-control and the power of chance, between honesty and the drive for control, between intelligence and the demands of the heart.
Woody Allen is a very skilled filmmaker, and yet you can see signs of repetitiveness. TO me, this was not a disturbance, but rather a confirmation of the Allen cinematographic stile. «Coup de chance» is very well constructed and the end is amazingly surprising. The way the movie ends is a lesson in itself. I enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it to others. I am more interested in the substance of the work than in its entertainment value. Either way, the viewer will not be deluded. Yet, the viewer is requested to further think once the movie is over. Like this, I would like to see more from Woody Allen. I hope I will!
Comandante (2023)
Being Italian in Time of War
The movie goes back to the story of «Commandante» Salvatore Todaro, obviously a name of reference in the history of the Italian navy. The story moves from La Spezia, in Italy, to the Island of Santa Maria, in the Azores (Portugal) in the second half of 1940, during WWII. Indeed, the span of the narrative goes from the mediterranean to the Atlantic across the Strait of Gibraltar on board of an Italian submarine. But the real story is another, much deeper. In my opinion, this is a movie about humanity and leadership, about command and obedience, about reason and self-sacrifice, and morality, especially in times of war. There are the laws of war and those of the sea; but, most importantly, there also are the Laws of Humanity. In a subtle way, I could see in the movie the laws of God too. Indeed, this is a movie that shows what a leader can be and, most importantly, how the Laws of Humanity might prevail, even in times of conflict and war.
The movie is quintessentially Italian. This is certainly reflected in the immense list of delicious foods that the movie transforms in an interesting kind of cultural refrain. Particularly noteworthy is the question that that the apparent «enemy» puts to Comandante Salvatore Todaro in Portuguese territorial waters in October of 1940: Why did you save us? «Perché siamo Italiani», was the answer. In my personal assessment: the movie is wonderful; indeed, at times truly moving! Watching this movie confirms the idea that we might once again be back to manifestations of great cinema in Italy.
Taht alshajra (2021)
Are we all under the fig trees?
I found «Taht alshajra» a movie with a simple plot and yet endowed with some particularly beautiful moments. The women actors are wonderful and the landscape, which I assume is Tunisian, is touching. The narrative, however, proceeds in a rather slow manner and the impression is of an over-construction of the plot. The «story» is deeply human, but the engagement of the spectator is a bit left behind. The scenes under the fig trees are repetitive, even if repetition might be in this case a useful strategy. I also wish that the figure of the «capo» would be represented in a more forceful and perhaps convincing way. The female acting appeared to me as of a very high quality. I am wondering if the intention was to make a movie by women for women. Yet the balance of the sexes is good and deserves appreciation. I would like to expect other movies by the team that produced «Under the Fig trees." I celebrate in particular the positive representation of inter-human affectivity in a Muslim context. I recommend the movie to whoever who, besides being interested in themes related to cultural diversity can also relate to traditional ways of working the fields.
Le mura di Bergamo (2023)
Not Easy, but Necessary
I was not in Bergamo during Covid-19, but I was in Italy. And I remember the first impressions I got from seeing images on television: discomfort, fear, disconcert. Bergamo became for me a city-symbol, an image of unexplainable suffering, the image of both tragedy and generosity. I shall never forget the doctors, particularly Dr. Vincenzo, the one featured in the documentary, the many nurses and many Priests that paid with their lives the decision of remaining at the side of the suffering and of not abandoning our common call to be with others especially in times of need. The documentary is a bit too long, and yet very moving. At different points, I was moved to tears and those were mostly tears of gratitude to the goodness the documentary was bringing forward.
I recommend this documentary to any one concerned with issues of life and death. This is the kind of movie that needs to be screened in Schools and Universities. The subject is difficult to cope with, but the message is positive. I think this movie is in itself a sign of hope. It brings us back to reality, but darkness is by far not the tone. Looking at death in the eyes might be for many, as it was for me, a blessing. Love and beauty are the predominant tones of this magnificent work. If it were for me, this is the kind of documentary that must be shown on television across Europe. After all, the walls of Bergamo are those of our Common House.