Cecilia Bongarzone, “ Luoghi di incontro a Delo: l’importanza delle agorai nel traffico commerciale del II secolo a.C.” I bought Loose Cannons because I have loved the earlier works of Ferzan Ozpetec, particularly His Secret Life (Le fate ignoranti), Facing Windows (La finestra di fronte), Sacred Heart (Cuore sacro), and - most of all - Saturn in Opposition (Saturno contro), but Loose Cannons surpasses them all. Each of its predecessors had minor flaws and occasional weak moments, but Loose Cannons has none. But this is far, far more than a coming-out movie. Themes of life and death and family and love and loss and immortality run like deep, rich rivers of life throughout the story; it is astonishing how much emotional ground is covered so effectively and gracefully in so little time. Each one of the dozen or so highly differentiated characters is fully and richly developed, and not one of them is short-changed or stereotyped.

This is an endearing, sympathetic movie about an in itself serious topic: the question if you should come-out as gay to your extremely conservative and homophobic parents. Here it's dealt with in a very intelligent way and with much humor, resulting in a rewarding mixture of laughs and tears. Maybe both parents stay a bit too much a caricature, especially the father, but the frustrations of main character Tomasso as the closeted son is very realistically pictured by actor Riccardo Scamarcio. Where To Watch: Available for streaming on the Criterion Channel and Kanopy, as well as available to rent from various streaming services. Based on actual events, this movie gives viewers a look into life under the rule of the mafia. As a learning resource, this is a great film for advanced Italian learners to challenge themselves with Sicilian accents and expressions. Pane e tulipani (“Bread And Tulips”) Eleonora Berti, Alessandro Di Marzio, Dorina Lustri, Chiara Martina Papa, Antonio Romano, “ Prytanis di Caristo.”There are two issues I had with the film. Number one: based on the trailer, I was anticipating a happy-clappy Italian comedy. Although the film has comedic moments, it is more a film about lost opportunities and regrets through to the very last scene. Comedy rarely comes into it, and by the end I was down-right depressed. For a peek inside Italy’s gritty underbelly, look no further than Io non ho paura . This film follows nine-year-old Michele Amitrano as he attempts to solve a crime, exposing an insidious web of secrecy bigger than he ever could have imagined. Mine vaganti , a 2010 comedy by Ferzan Özpetek, provides a layered and introspective take on the contentious issue of homosexuality in conservative southern Italy. The film follows protagonist Tommaso as his attempts to come out to his family are repeatedly thwarted by a series of unexpected obstacles. Loose Cannons premiered on 13 February, 2010, at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. The following month, it was theatrically released in Italy, Switzerland, and Turkey. In the United States, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 28 April, 2010, where it won the Special Jury Prize. It was later screened at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Provincetown International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. In October 2010, the film was screened at the London Film Festival. Riccardo Scamarcio, Nicole Grimaudo, Alessandro Preziosi, Dario Bandiera, Ennio Fantastichini, Lunetta Savino, Elena Sofia Ricci, Ilaria Occhini, Bianca Nappi, Carolina Crescentini

Loose Cannons premiered on 13 February 2010 at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. [4] The following month, it was theatrically released in Italy, Switzerland and Turkey. On 28 April, the film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, [5] earning the Special Jury Prize. [6] A month later, Loose Cannons was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival. [7] In the United States, it would also be screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2011. [8]Fernan Ozpetek delivers another talented direction in a movie which stands somehow apart from his previous ones, being here the entertaining and even funny element more evident and succeeded. The main theme has dramatic and thoughtprovoking implication, being it the difficulty for a son to reveal his homosexuality to his family, and the difficulty, almost the impossibility for the family to accept this revelation. What stands out here, as in all movies directed by Ozpetek, is the delicacy in handling with still difficult and "disturbing" topics, not judging nor siding for any point of view, but simply trying, sometimes with a radical but effective attitude, to offer a believable contemporary frame. At the same time, some funny moments are delivered and help to relieve the story of the easy risk to become too melodramatic or pedantic. Juxtaposing with other Ozpetek's films I have watched (chronically STEAM: THE Turkish BATH 1997, LAST HAREM 1999, THE IGNORANT FAIRIES 2001, FACING WINDOWS 2003, SATURN IN OPPOSITION 2007), this time Ozpetek is palpably much smoother and more effortless to deal with his gay-oriented hallmark, shunning from all the melancholy and narcissism most homosexual films shamelessly over-exploit.

Where To Watch: Available for streaming on HBO, Paramount+ and Canopy, as well as available to rent from various other streaming services. The film is based on the American novel Human Capital by Stephen Amidon, which could help beginners and intermediates better follow the plot. However, due to the complex themes and dialogue, this film is ideally suited to advanced Italian learners. La vita è bella (“Life Is Beautiful”) That same evening, the grandmother puts in place an extreme plan to resolve the situation: despite suffering from diabetes mellitus, she decides to eat a huge amount of sweets that leads her to her death. Since she is the largest shareholder of the pasta factory, she in her last will leaves it to Antonio, who will thus have to return to the family, and she recommends each member of the family to be himself and to respect the diversity of others. During her funeral, past and present come together in an almost dreamlike scene: her grandmother finds her beloved Nicola, her husband's brother and her only true love; Vincenzo and Antonio seem to make peace, while Tommaso watches Marco and Alba dance and, after hinting at a smile, leaves.Rounding off our list is the Oscar-winning classic La vita è bella by Roberto Benigni. Set in a Nazi labor camp, this bittersweet comedy reflects on themes of love and sacrifice as the protagonist Guido attempts to protect his son from the terror of their reality by pretending the camp is actually just an elaborate game, where they have to follow all the rules to win a tank. Of course, the father does not see all this. He is too much occupied with "what people in the village may think". He is also mad at his family, that they did not forewarn him because "everyone can recognize gay people by their behavior". Ozpetek presents this world beautifully, the film is shot well and looks great, but so does everything to the point that it all seems too perfect. All the characters are beautiful, stylish and middle class, living well and only through the aunt do we see any imperfections, which seem to be done for laughs. The perfection of the characters seems highly unrealistic, although perhaps one could say that despite the perfection on the outside, they have many imperfections within. The story of a family of pasta makers in the Salento area and in particular two brothers and their relationship with their father and sister. international title: Italian Mamma diceva sempre: la vita è come una scatola di cioccolatini, non sai mai quello che ti capita.