The 9th Italian Cinema Meetings, organized at the Rialto cinema, presented ten films, some of which have not yet been shown in French theaters.
At the end of this event, we present our three favorites.
Family dysfunction is the major theme in Ivan De Matteo’s cinema (The Nice People, Balancers, Our Children).
In The Possible Life, a battered woman leaves her apartment with her 13-year-old son and moves from Rome to Turin. The film does not directly address domestic violence, but rather the days afterwards with ongoing reconstruction. It also explores the relationship between a mother and her son, made up of both mutual support and animosity.
Contrary to expectations, De Matteo focuses more on the preadolescent, with his newfound solitude, than on his mother, who is treated with a certain distance, as is the friend who shelters them, although these are two much more complex and captivating characters.
In fact, the narrative of The Possible Life is somewhat weak, and the tone rather cold, likely out of fear of a certain sentimentality. Despite a few touching moments, the director’s gamble isn’t fully successful, with the film eliciting only mild interest.
There are, however, a few big names in the cast: Margherita Buy, Valeria Golino, Bruno Todeschini, and the young and talented Andrea Pittorino. There is nothing to criticize about the quality of the performances, but The Possible Life, without being a disgraceful failure, turns out to be, by far, the least captivating feature film by Ivano De Matteo.
