Francesca Comencini's view of my home city, Milan, is direly pessimistic but, alas, probably very close to reality. In a way rendered famous by the classic Short Cuts, the film lets us follow the lives of a dozen characters. Their stories are unrelated at the beginning of the film, then slowly get intertwined, either because we discover some links between the characters, or by pure coincidence (like staying in the same hospital room ― which is less interesting).
All in all, the scenario (or lack thereof) is rather gloomy and despairing. Most scenes are shot during the night or are interior scenes. When you manage to see the outside from the latter scenes, it is mostly railway tracks or the less glamorous parts of the city.
Where il Caimano (shot in Rome) was a direct attack against Berlusconism and the way Berlusconi has transformed Italy and the Italians, A casa nostra lets us see the results of this process, and even more sharply so in Milan, the 'capital city' of Berlusconism. After having seen this film, I would say Milan is the real Sin City ― forget about Frank Miller's comic books or film: sex, corruption, prostitution, murder, money laundering, drug trafficking, white slave trade, name it ― it is there, behind the fashion shops, designer clothes, and beautiful cathedral.
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A casa nostra is not really the kind of movie you'd like to see, from what I've just read...Or did I get it wrong?
ReplyDeleteI have to see that film. I spent almost 2 years of my life in Milano and I'm deeply convinced it is nowadays the burrow of a corrupt system (it's a pity a few milanese must go through all this every single day of their lives). The others probably deserve what they have. My days there were very dull...
ReplyDeleteEn Joan, non sabi qué te díser. Milan es la vila que ne'n soi sortit. Un film que la descriu tan plan, per ieu, es plan solide un film de véser. Per qualqu'un que coneish pas Itàlia... benlèu pas. Mès pòt tanben èsser un miralh del nòstre futur: Sárközy nos a adejà plan muishat qu'aviá pas paur de far véser qu'èra l'amic dels qu'an la moneda e dels qu'an lo poder!
ReplyDeleteE seriá França a mand de se berlusconizar?
En Marià: e òc, Milan es venguda una ciutat pron anujosa. Quin pecat, èra pas atal un còp èra (fa quinze, vint ans d'aquò). D'un biaish general, ieu pensi que l'Euròpa occidentala es tota en trin de venir terriblament anujosa... Espanha es benlèu encara una excepcion.
ReplyDeleteCiao Gianni,
ReplyDeletePurtroppo, in molto sensi, i miei giorni a Milano rimarrano tra i più brutti della mia vita. Per fortuna ho beccato un bel gruppo di colleghi in laboratorio, altrimenti mi buttavo sotto un treno. Beh, comunque, rischiavo di finire sotto qualche macchina ad ogni incrocio ;-)
Com a català (que no espanyol!), només puc dir-te que el meu país tampoc no és el súmmum de la perfecció ni s'assembla al que joc voldria que fos. Tanmateix, com molts altres, continuaré treballant per aconseguir una Catalunya independent, d'esquerres, justa, solidària i ateua!
Esperem que els occitants pugueu (i sapigueu) fer el mateix! Si tan sols en Sarko no esdevingués un altre Berluska!
Bona sort!
Marià
«Esperem que els occitans pugueu (i sapigueu) fer el mateix!» Malaürosament me sembla una causa impossibla. Dison que cal al mens lo 30% dels estatjants que parlen una lenga per la salvar, e dins las vilas occitanas i a mens del 30% d'occitanoparlants. Occitània serà benlèu independenta e d'esquèrra, un jorn, mès parlarà francés (se pòt far un parallèl amb la situacion escocesa).
ReplyDelete