Mini Review: Magnificent Presence (Magnifica presenza)
Magnificent Presence is a wonderful film; it is a clever balance of comedy and drama with truly great performances. Director Ferzan Ozpetek has successfully crafted a modern ghost story that doesn’t aim to scare but is instead a mystery and a journey of self-discovery. This was inspired, as I understand by a story by Antonio Pietrangeli, whether or not it is faithful to that source I do not know, but whatever has been done here is something rather special.
The story is about a young man Pietro (Elio Germano) who moves into an apartment, he is a baker by night and an aspiring actor by day. He is dealing with changes in his life, with help from his cousin Maria (Paola Minaccioni). Things start to get a little crazy in his life when he realizes he isn’t alone in his new apartment and it is home to a group of ghosts, who back when they were alive formed a theater troupe during WWII. Pietro overcomes his fear of the ghosts and gets to know them, and he allows them into his life. They provide help he needs in his life, and he in turn tries to solve the mystery of why they are there and how they died.
This really is a rather charming film; it is refreshing to see a film with ghosts not actually be about scaring the audience. Instead they are there as confused people, with the one who can seem them actually enjoying their company. This is more along the lines of something like Heart And Souls, with that same element of humor and charm, only with different storylines but both being about growth. It is a really well written film, with fantastic performances, and actors who have stunning chemistry together. This stands as one of the best films I have seen and enjoyed this year, it is no wonder this film won so many accolades, it deserves them.
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Mini Review: The Entrepreneur (L’industriale)
It has been some time since I have seen a film quite like this, and it doesn’t really surprise me that Italy has produced this. From director Giuliano Montaldo, this feels like a very personal film, and one that certainly had a lot of passion behind it. Montaldo co-wrote the screenplay with Andrea Purgatori, based on a story by himself with Vera Pescarolo Montaldo. This is a film that visually is going to be quite an experience for its audience because virtually all the colour has been removed, for which I sense is to reflect the feelings that many have during these recent times and to reflect our main character and his story.
Speaking of story, the one here for The Entrepreneur is about Nicola Ranieri (Pierfrancesco Favino), a man that is struggling with all the aspects of his life. His factory is on the verge of bankruptcy, and he is hoping a German company will be able to save it, but it doesn’t look promising. He refuses to use any help from his wealthy wife Laura (Carolina Crescentini) or her snob mother, intent on being able to solve the issues himself. While this happening with his professional life, he begins to suspect his wife isn’t being faithful and begins to think she is having an affair with her car park attendant. Little does he know his wife is actually sneaking around in order to help his business, and the situation naturally turns ugly.
This is a very confronting film, with situations that I am sure many can relate to, whether they be professional or personal ones. Turin where the film is set is a place that is suffering financial crisis and the film tries to represent this through Nicola. There are many places suffering, and this is not an isolated story, which is why I think it works so well. It is about economic crisis, as well as personal ones, something that is handled in a really interesting way. It is very well written and directed, Montaldo is extremely talented and very deserving of the praise and awards this film has received. The performances are all very solid and quite natural, which round out this piece of cinema.
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For more information about the Italian Film Festival, please visit the official site at italianfilmfestival.com.au
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