Day two of the festival and a slight wrinkle in plans. Film number two of the day was supposed to be All My Friends Hate Me, a British dark comedy, screened at the Prince Charles Cinema. After being let in and sat in our seats for around 40 minutes, the announcement that no one wanted to make or hear came:- due to technical issues, they weren’t able to screen the film. I felt absolutely gutted for the filmmakers as a large number of the cast and crew as well as friends were all there for this screening.
Still, the day got off to a much better start with this…
The Hand Of God
Dir. Paolo Sorrentino / Dur. 130 min
In A Nutshell:- A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale detailing the formative teenage experiences of Maradona-obsessed teen Fabietto.
The Good:- So much about this one ticks the good column - the cast are uniformly excellent but particular shout-outs to Filippo Scotti as the wide-eyed Fabietto viewing everything going on around him; Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo as his parents with a complex love and Luisa Ranieri as his tortured but compelling Aunt Patrizia. It’s a film that’s not afraid to tackle thorny subjects but manages to do so with a sense of humour. Particular joy is derived early on in the film from the savage yet loving way in which Fabietto’s extended family ruthlessly pull each other apart, including Dora Ramona as the formidable and foul-mouthed Signora Gentile. It’s also gorgeously shot with Sorrentino’s clear love for his native Naples shining throughout the film. The film takes a surprising turn partway through, setting up a more sombre second half but still managing to maintain a thread of that earlier throughout.
The Bad:- The only note that I wasn’t entirely sure about is that there is a character with learning difficulties in the film and it feels a little like the character is played too broadly and as a figure to be laughed at but that was the only note for me which didn't quite ring true.
Verdict:- It’s a film with a huge amount of heart which manages to touch on some difficult and even taboo subjects but does so while still maintaining an enjoyable sense of humour about it. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Q&A Notes:- Sorrentino, Scotti, Saponangelo and Ranieri were all in attendance along with the film’s producer and DOP. Sorrentino, when asked about his choice if using autobiographical elements, stated that his choices were either therapy or filmmaking and the smart man chooses filmmaking as you get paid for it instead of vice versa.
Michael Caine once claimed that Sorrentino was like John Huston as a director; you only got direction when you were doing something wrong. No dissent from the actors…
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