The best of the year, in no particular order…
1) Il Capitale Umano (Human Capital)
The rest of the list is “in no particular order” but Il Capitale Umano is the BEST of the year. A stunningly complex drama about money, families going haywire because of it, and a guy on a bike who, one dark snowy night, loses his life and brings theirs into glaringly sharp focus.
Director: Paolo Virzì
Writers: Stephen Amidon (novel), Paolo Virzì (screenplay)
Stars: Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Matilde Gioli, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Luigi Lo Cascio
2) Le Meraviglie – The Wonders
Nothing will be the same at the end of this summer for Gelsomina and her three younger sisters.
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Writer: Alice Rohrwacher
Stars: Alba Rohrwacher, Maria Alexandra Lungu, Sam Louwyck
3) Marina
The true story of Rocco Granata, an Italian coal miner’s son who followed his passion for music against his father’s wishes and social barriers.
Director: Stijn Coninx
Writers: Stijn Coninx, Rik D’Hiet
Stars: Matteo Simoni, Cristiaan Campagna, Luigi Lo Cascio, Donatella Finocchiaro
4) Anime Nere (Black Souls)
Three brothers from a Calabrian crime family see the future of the family’s heroin/goat herding organization in different ways. The interactions are authentic and the dialogue in Calabrian dialect realistic; mafia movie aficionados will find the criminals in Anime Nere satisfying, those who just love a good family drama will be equally drawn in.
Director: Francesco Munzi
Writers: Gioacchino Criaco (novel), Francesco Munzi (screenplay)
Stars: Marco Leonardi, Peppino Mazzotta, Fabrizio Ferracane, Barbora Bobulova
5) I Nostri Ragazzi (The Dinner, Our Kids)
When two brothers, more for appearance sake than anything else, get together with wives that hate each other for a monthly dinner, it’s not fun for anybody but it’s just something one does. The monotony of the family tradition might have continued forever had it not been for something their kids got involved in, something worse than anyone could have expected. Based on the book, The Dinner, by Herman Koch.
Director: Ivano De Matteo
Writers: Valentina Ferlan (screenplay), Ivano De Matteo (screenplay)
Stars: Alessandro Gassman, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Luigi Lo Cascio
6) Smetto Quando Voglio (I Can Quit When I Want)
In the first few minutes of Sydney Sibilia’s Smetto Quando Voglio ( I Can Quit When I Want), I thought, “Oh wow, Syd’s ripping off ‘Breaking Bad!’ “; but I was wrong. Smetto Quando Voglio is a hilarious comedy and a story all it’s own. Breaking Bad’s Walter and Smetto Quando voglio’s Pietro are in the same boat; two frustrated college professors who are highly educated and bright but can’t get ahead decide to use their knowledge of chemistry to make money.
Director: Sydney Sibilia
Writers: Valerio Attanasio
Stars: Edoardo Leo, Valeria Solarino, Valerio Aprea
7) Incompresa (Misunderstood)
Aria is nine-year-old girl. On the verge of divorce, Aria’s infantile and selfish parents are too preoccupied with their careers and extra-marital affairs to properly tend to any of Aria’s needs. While her two older sisters are pampered, Aria is treated with cold indifference. Yet she yearns to love and to be loved. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director: Asia Argento
Writers: Barbara Alberti (screenplay), Asia Argento
Stars: Anna Lou Castoldi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gabriel Garko
8) In Grazia Di Dio (Quiet Bliss)
Three generations of a family has to move back to their picturesque coastal town of their family’s origin and survive off the family farm, after their family company goes bankrupt. A feel-good drama about possibilities after a crises.
Director: Edoardo Winspeare
Writers: Anna Boccadamo, Alessandro Valenti
Stars: Celeste Casciaro, Laura Licchetta, Anna Boccadamo
9) Italy In A Day
Very cool documentary about what Italians are doing on one particular day.
Director: Gabriele Salvatores
Writers: Ilaria Castiglioni (supervising writer), Raffaello Fusaro (head writer)
Stars: Alessia Gatti, Nikolas Grasso, Lorenzo Ciani
10) Il Giovane Favoloso
Based upon the short but fruitful life of illness-racked Italian poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi.
Director: Mario Martone
Writers: Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo
Stars: Elio Germano, Michele Riondino, Massimo Popolizio
And don’t forget about Buoni a Nulla from Gianni Di Gregorio, due out this year and most likely due to join this list.
I Love Italian Everything 