Films & Schedules - R

Garrone takes a critical swipe at contemporary Italian society and the powerful role of television and the media in instilling obsessive envy and lust for fame. After seeing a former reality star make an electrifying surprise appearance at his cousin’s wedding (one of several paid appearances for the enterprising self-promoter), common man Luciano decides to try out for the Italian version of “Big Brother.” Sure he will soon get the call, Luciano begins to conduct his life as if he’s already being watched. Playing Luciano’s delusions not only for laughs but for thoughtful, ethical examination, Garrone blends a Fellini-esque love...

Garrone takes a critical swipe at contemporary Italian society and the powerful role of television and the media in instilling obsessive envy and lust for fame. After seeing a former reality star make an electrifying surprise appearance at his cousin’s wedding (one of several paid appearances for the enterprising self-promoter), common man Luciano decides to try out for the Italian version of “Big Brother.” Sure he will soon get the call, Luciano begins to conduct his life as if he’s already being watched. Playing Luciano’s delusions not only for laughs but for thoughtful, ethical examination, Garrone blends a Fellini-esque love for grotesquerie and fairy-tale surrealism with gritty Neapolitan social realism. (116 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Land in the Middle (96), Roman Summer (00), The Embalmer (02), First Love (04), Gomorrah (08)

Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco and the Italian Film Commission, Los Angeles.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Comedy.

The South of France, 1915: 74-year-old Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) still paints every day, despite the pains of old age and the loss of his dear wife. The arrival of a new 15-year-old model, Andrée (Christa Theret), brings an incandescent energy into the household, inspiring not only Renoir le père’s painting but also stirring the passions of les filses Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and Claude (Thomas Doret). Against the backdrop of World War I, the film locates a fascinating moment of change, one century’s way of thinking giving way to the next, and the passing of the torch from a great...

The South of France, 1915: 74-year-old Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) still paints every day, despite the pains of old age and the loss of his dear wife. The arrival of a new 15-year-old model, Andrée (Christa Theret), brings an incandescent energy into the household, inspiring not only Renoir le père’s painting but also stirring the passions of les filses Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and Claude (Thomas Doret). Against the backdrop of World War I, the film locates a fascinating moment of change, one century’s way of thinking giving way to the next, and the passing of the torch from a great painter to the great filmmaker of such classics as Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game. (111 mins.)

Selected Filmography: A Sight For Sore Eyes (03), Afterwards (08)

Featured as the Closing Night Film of the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sponsored by Your Own French Home, the Alliance Française de Portland, and TV5Monde.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, French Language, Art, History.