Sunday,
April 13, 2008
'My Brother Is an Only Child' - Sibling,
Political Rivals in 1960s
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
movie is a sweet, gently real portrait of two brothers coming of age in 1960s
MOVIE REVIEW
By Sid
Smith
Tribune arts critic
April 13, 2008
The fey illogic
in the title of "My Brother is an Only Child" hints at the style of
this funny-sad film, which flips from dark to light moods and back with suave,
unpredictable dexterity.
The movie is a sweet, gently real portrait of two brothers coming of age in
1960s
That's just the backdrop allowing director Daniele Luchetti
and screenwriters Sandro Petraglia
and Stefano Rulli ("The Best of Youth") to
explore two rich, well-delineated characters. The hero, Accio
(Elio Germano), is the
younger brother, and he has the mix of resentment, rebellion and cheekiness
shared by a lot of younger siblings. He bristles at authority, tied in his mind
to his older brother's bullying horseplay . Accio is the family black sheep, something of a bully
himself and constantly at odds with parents and siblings. He abruptly leaves
what he finds to be the hollow piety of the seminary, only to fall in with
local fascists still loyal to Mussolini's vision of
Accio succumbs to this noxious group partly in
reaction to his brother's ardent communism. That brother, Manrico
(Riccardo Scamarcio), is a glum, moody, womanizing
idealist--a turbulent firebrand portrayed by Scamarcio
with something of the mien and nascent menace of a young Johnny Depp. In the early years, Manrico's
communism is youthful zeal, but, as time passes, as Accio
rejects fascist violence, Manrico becomes more
entrenched in left-wing politics and even bits of terrorism. Accio shifts to Manrico's
political viewpoint, but he's nowhere near the idealogue,
more a resigned individualist than tireless activist. That difference in the
brothers' tem peraments--zealot vs. pragmatist--comes
to a head in their relationship with the same woman, Francesca (Diane Fleri), Manrico's girl, but Accio's friend and flirtation.
Luchetti's camera lingers and his pacing is sometimes
too leisurely, but the movie blends pastorale and
politics with uncanny ease and fluidity. It's a raucous family drama--emotions erupt unpredictably and swing from joy to anger with
recognizable naturalism. And it's a history lesson, a look at '60s strife
inside a corner far removed from our more familiar American images of that era.
It's also brightly performed, from sullen, boorish, yet charismatic Scamarcio to the instinctive, charming, infuriating
characterization by Germano, who renders Accio an inimitable, memorable fellow.
In Italian, with English subtitles.
sismith@tribune.com
- - - - -
No MPAA rating (contains adult language, violence, and some mild sexual conten t).
Running time: 1:48.
Opening: April 11 at the Music Box Theatre.
www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-11-my-brother-is-an-only-child-review,1,2964286.story
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives*) on:
Blog: www.AnnoticoReport.com
Italia
Italia Mia: www.ItaliaMia.com *
Topix.net:
www.topix.net/world/italy
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net