DANIELE LUCHETTI

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5.  

Alternate title:  Our Life

Italy/France, 2010.  Cattleya, Rai Cinema, Babe Film, Canal+, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Centre National de la Cinématographie.  Screenplay by Daniele Luchetti, Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli.  Cinematography by Claudio Collepiccolo.  Produced by Marco Chimenz, Fabio Conversi, Giovanni Stabilini, Riccardo Tozzi.  Music by Franco Piersanti.  Production Design by Giancarlo Basili.  Costume Design by Maria Rita Barbera.  Film Editing by Mirco Garrone.  

It’s a good life for Elio Germano, working as a construction manager while at home his wife is pregnant with their third child. Tragedy strikes, however, and things go haywire when Germano finds himself alone, lost and confused with no support and three children to take care of. Then things start to spin out of control professionally as well: a dead body is found at the site where he is overseeing construction, while the undocumented employees of the new site where he has been appointed as boss are growing restless and angry about their treatment. Despite a few moments of soap-operatic shrillness, this film has all the natural pace and realistic wonder of early Ermanno Olmi, bolstered above the possibility of being dull by an outstanding performance from Germano, who deservedly took home the Best Actor prize at Cannes for his work (shared with Javier Bardem in Biutiful, but really Germano should have won it alone). It’s not a heart-soaring masterpiece, but it does have great moments of lyrical beauty and touching poignancy.

Cannes Film Festival Award:  Best Actor (Elio Germano) (tie)

European Film Award Nomination:  Best European Actor (Elio Germano)