Ferzan Ozpetek, the Italian-Turkish director, was brought to prominence with the film ‘Hammam’ in 1997, followed by ‘La Finestra di Fronte’ in 2001, two beautiful films that already explored the themes of homosexuality and family.
This time, he immerses us in a remarkably constructed and dialogued story where each member of this large clan has suffered in one way or another, torn between personal desires and family duties in a strictly conservative and traditional context like that of Southern Italy (the film is shot in the magnificent city of Lecce, the queen of Italian baroque, which inspires a desire to visit).
Ferzan Ozpetek, who claims to have told a family story concerning two of his brothers, makes the audience laugh or rather smile at the tribulations of the Cantone family, but beneath a comedic veneer, the conservative Italian society is rather cleverly portrayed, even if it is done so in an intelligent and entertaining manner.
The film ‘Loose Cannons’ was selected for the 60th edition of the Berlin Festival 2010 and for the Tribeca Film Festival organized by Robert De Niro in New York.
Why watch this film where Ferzan Ozpetek appears to have found a balance between his favorite themes and his style?
To watch a simple and light ‘Italian comedy’ that captures commonplaces and weaves stories with rhythm, with a light tone and ‘playing’ to create an alchemy among the performers (significant in this regard is the construction of the relationship between Tommaso and Alba, both distant and complicit in the search for a balance in their lives).
All in a narrative with human warmth, subtle humor that well reflects the mentality of the provincial society of Southern Italy rooted in traditions, thanks to a choice of leading actors who are well-matched.
