Mio fratello è figlio unico

English title: My Brother is an Only Child

Genre: comedy drama

With: Riccardo Scamarcio (Manrico), Elio Germano (Accio), Angela Finocchiaro (their mother Amelia), Massimo Popolizio (their father Ettore Benassi), Alba Rohrwacher (their sister Violetta), Diane Fleri (Francesca), Luca Zingaretti (Mario Nastri), Anna Bonaiuto (Bella, Mario’s wife), Vittorio Emanuele Propizio (Teenage Accio), Ascanio Celestini (Father Cavalli), Claudio Botosso (Prof. Montagna), Ninni Bruschetta (Bombacci)

Director: Daniele Luchetti

Screenplay: Daniele Luchetti, Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli (adapted from Antonio Pennacchi’s novel)

Release: 2008

Studio: Cattleya, ThinkFilm, Warner Bros. Pictures

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.3/10 

 

A Fascist Can Be Quite Handy Around the House 

 

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Story-line: Italy, 1962. Accio, an impetuous and anguished young man, is looking for a way to channel his energy. Should he become a seminarian? Try as he may, he’s not destined for it. Work in a factory? His father forbids it. Undertake classical studies? It’s OK for his sister but not for him. Frustrated, impatient, he surrenders to a new passion, hard-core fascism, much to the dismay of his left-leaning brother Manrico.

Pluses: good acting from Elio Germano (incredibly enough, he makes fascism look cool!), Riccardo Scamarcio, Diane Fleri and a fine cast, brisk direction, a breathless, no-holds-barred screenplay that twists and turns at a furious pace, lovely cinematography, production values that are gorgeously retro and an atypical ending.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD, a companion to Lina Wertmüller’s quirky works, makes fun of dysfunctional families and the contradictions of life. It also deals with serious issues – political rivalries, sibling loyalty, among others – in an ironic and incisive way. The adventures of the Benassi family are one more example of how life works in mysterious ways, sometimes for the better. An exhilarating, unpredictable watch for movie buffs! 

 

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