The ANNOTICO Report

The premise is to take Caterina (enchanting Alice Teghil), a lovely,
intelligent teenager, from the provinces and drop her into a vast and
venerable school in Rome whose students' parents are among the country's
elite.

In the process Virzi offers a mural of contemporary Italian society as rich
as that of Mexico in "Y Tu Mamá También" but with an even more biting point
of view.

'CATERINA IN THE BIG CITY'
In this surprising look at Italian society, a teenage girl and her family
try to adjust to big-city life.

Los Angeles Times
By Kevin Thomas
Times Staff Writer
June 10, 2005

Paolo Virzi's delightfully deceptive "Caterina in the Big City" is one of
the richest, most satisfying Italian films of recent years. Its premise
seems simple enough, which is to take Caterina (enchanting Alice Teghil), a
lovely, intelligent teenager, from the provinces and drop her into a vast
and venerable school in Rome whose students' parents are among the
country's elite. Gradually, the film becomes as much about Caterina's
parents as it is about her, and in the process Virzi offers a mural of
contemporary Italian society as rich as that of Mexico in "Y Tu Mamá
También" but with an even more biting point of view.

Caterina, who sings in the school choir, seems as happy in her small town
as her father, Giancarlo (Sergio Castellitto), is miserable, having been
stuck teaching accounting for 13 years at a technical high school. At last
his long-sought transfer back to his native Rome comes through, and he and
his dutiful wife, Agata (Margherita Buy), move into his family's old
apartment, where his elderly aunt still lives. Nearby is the
still-outstanding school Giancarlo attended.

At school, Caterina initially receives the predictable country-bumpkin
treatment, but she's resilient, self-possessed and pretty. She is
befriended by Margherita (Carolina Iaquaniello), whose mother (Galatea
RanzI) is a political activist, separated from her much older husband
(Claudio Amendola), a famous leftist writer and intellectual, an earthy,
long-haired bohemian much in demand for TV appearances. After an
excruciating encounter involving Giancarlo, an aspiring novelist of little
talent, Caterina and Margherita fall out, leaving Caterina to take up with
the even more formidable Daniela (Federica Sbrenna), the spoiled daughter
of Italy's deputy prime minister.

All of a sudden, Caterina becomes caught up in a snobby, fast-moving high
life, but as she seemingly is achieving rapid social progress Virzi shifts
the focus to Giancarlo, a prickly, overbearing and frustrated man who
increasingly lashes out at the rigid exclusivity of society's power elite,
which on the right retains ugly strains of fascism and anti-Semitism. The
strength of "Caterina" is that, although Giancarlo is accurate about the
elite, it reveals him to be his own worst enemy, foreshadowed by his
patronizing treatment of his wife, who may not be as docile as she seems.

Although it's pretty clear that Caterina is a born survivor, no matter how
painful life's lessons, Virzi's consistently buoyant inventiveness allows
him to take a decidedly unpredictable course in winding up his wonderful
film. "Caterina" is smart, sassy, compassionate and critical. By the time
it is over it has become an especially gratifying instance of inviting its
audience to recognize the universal in its sharply perceptive view of
contemporary Roman life.

'Caterina in the Big City'

MPAA rating: Unrated

Times guidelines: Some language, sensuality, adult themes An Empire
Pictures release. Director Paolo Virzi. Producers Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni
Stabilini, Marco Chimenz. Screenplay by Virzi and Francesco Bruni.
Cinematographer Arnaldo Catinari. Editor Cecilia Zanuso. Production
designer Tonino Zera. In Italian with English subtitles. Running time: 1
hour, 46 minutes. At selected theaters.

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-caterina10jun10,0,5837474.s
tory

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