Reality, 2012.
Directed by Matteo Garrone.
Starring Aniello Arena, Loredana Simiolo, Nando Paone, Nello Iorio, Nunzia Schiano, Rosaria D’Urso, Giuseppina Cervizzi and Claudia Gerini.
SYNOPSIS:
When a man who’s convinced he’s made it into Big Brother is left out in the cold, his perception of the world around him crumbles.
Reality begins with our main character, Luciano (Arena) preparing himself for a performance at a family union. He dresses himself up and puts on a great little show for his family, while also dragging in the special guest and Italian Big Brother winner Enzo (Raffaele Ferrante).
His entire family tells him he should be in show business and tries his best to follow in the footsteps of his new hero Enzo and make it onto Big Brother. In doing so, he loses sight of reality and falls further into the made up story he’s created for himself.
The film’s main theme is obviously obsession, and the way it can take over our lives. Influence from celebrities and how we sometimes even let them run our lives in extreme cases is the message of the film. Celebrities are our new Gods, and some people would do anything to become one. Luciano forgets where he is, even who he is, and slips further down the hole.
That’s the point, but it’s not a one-note movie. The other people in Luciano’s life are shown struggling against Luciano while also trying to help him. So while this is a film about celebrity culture and obsession, it could be any other problem that Luciano would have. A lesser point, of course, but it’s also about the struggle, the regret and the anger that can come along when you’re trying to help someone you love.
With an ensemble cast featuring some great performances, the acting has to be acknowledged. Loredana Simioli as Lucian’s wife tries her best to keep her husband anchored while also being forced to watch as he slips away. Nando Paone as his business partner and quiet compatriot also trying his best to drag Luciano back from the brink. Will they be able to do it, or has Luciano been lost to the bright lights and emptiness of celebrity?
And Aniello Arena, the main man of the piece, gives a wide and varying performance as Luciano. Easily attention grabbing with his on-screen charisma and presence (and also his headline grabbing in which he almost appeared in a mafia film as a rather… shall we say, stringent method actor?) Arena gives the character an emotional range that is invaluable.
The direction also lets us in on this world, giving us the view of the loved ones who don’t know what to do but won’t leave him as well as Luciano’s strange and at times frightening behaviour. The scary nature of Luciano’s state of mind is well played for laughs, however, giving the film a slightly darker edge that lets us in on his view as opposed to just examining a poor specimen from the outside.
The look of the film, which is helped by the style of shooting behind the camera, fits the feel of the script. It’s all about an ordinary man trying to reach a zenith that is shown throughout to be nothing more than bells and whistles, a huge light show for the audience.
The music helps things along as well. While a lot could be dismissed as tones, it’s the undercurrent of the music, the fact it never takes over completely in favour of helping equally with all the other aspects that makes the music deceptively good. This is especially apparent in the final scene.
The ending does deserve special mention just because it works so well. All the themes, all the emotion and all the events leading up to the final scene are played out so well that it’s the most fitting ending I’ve seen in a film in a long while. All without dialogue, it perfectly uses images to sum up and conclude the story.
So, as they say, in the end this film works so perfectly because of all the cogs working together. The themes all knowing their places, every aspect of performance, sound and look working seamlessly as one. I think it’s pretty obvious that I can’t recommend this film anymore, but I’ll say it anyway. Watch this film!
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★
Matt Smith
Originally published October 15, 2012. Updated April 11, 2018.
